I’m curious if anyone else has noticed this or knows how enforcement decisions are made.
I live in an apartment near the U, where a lot of these larger buildings don’t provide nearly enough parking for all residents. Because of that, street parking isn’t really optional, it’s necessary and extremely hard to find. But enforcement around here is intense. If you forget to pay once, step away for few minutes, or even go just slightly over your time, there’s almost a 90% chance you’ll come back to a ticket.
What’s frustrating is that I don’t see the same level of enforcement in other parts of Minneapolis. I also work downtown, and it feels noticeably less aggressive to almost no enforcement there. Near and on campus, though, it almost feels like it’s constant and targeted.
I get the argument of “just pay the meter,” but that’s not really the point. It’s the inconsistency. Why does enforcement seem so concentrated in areas where people already have limited parking options, and students who’s mostly likely already struggling with money is the perfect demographic for them.
Is this just my perception, or is there actually a policy or strategy behind how parking enforcement is distributed?