Hey, there! Log in / Register
New Yorker parking in Eastie fires back at nasty note; for starters, she's no longer a New Yorker
By adamg on Mon, 10/19/2015 - 12:57pm
We can only imagine what was in the original note left on the windshield of this car on Cottage Street up on Jeffries Point, that this note - captured by Sean M. - is in response to. But given that the car still has New York plates and inspection stickers, and given that this is Boston, we have a pretty good idea.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Self-appointed parking police...
...should just go mind their own business.
Sorry...
Someone who illegally helps himself to a parking space that he's not entitled to use, thereby depriving me (a rightful user) of its use and forcing me into a pay lot, kinda sorta made it my business, didn't he?
Unless it's resident parking
Then everyone is equally entitled to use it.
If it's resident parking, call the city and have them write tickets. I try this in Cambridge. It doesn't work, but at least I annoy TP&T.
Not quite
If you have lived here for 2 months and have not re-registered your car in Massachusetts, then your car is not legally registered. Public on-street parking is for legally registered cars only.
Here 2 Months?
Please register your car here and pay taxes for our streets, not for the ones in Oneida, Islip, or Fishkill. (Yes, I am bitter the Mets are up 2-0. I'm not pro-Cubs, just anti-NY).
Otherwise, Welcome to Boston! It's going to be fun!
Glad to see the One-Sided Rivalry with NY is still going!
Fight the good fight!
Why would they register it...
...if they're about to sell the car?
30 days
According to http://www.dmv.org/ma-massachusetts/new-to-massachusetts.php site, they're required to register it within 30 days.
"If you've brought your out-of-state car with you to MA, you'll need to register it with the RMV within 30 days of becoming a resident. You may also need to transfer your certificate of title over to Massachusetts, depending on your vehicle type. For more information, see our Car Registration in Massachusetts page."
I'm trying to find this on the MA RMV site as the DMV site is a catch-all
Uh huh. Tell that to all the
Uh huh. Tell that to all the NH and CT plates I see.
Okay. Those drivers should
Okay. Those drivers should register their cars, too.
we all know
that this person has no intentions of selling this car. If they did, show us the ad.
"we all know"
What, you and the mouse in your pocket? What a load of crap. You know no such thing.
Just Think, If They Had A "For Sale" Sign On The Car ...
... how much publicity it would have received over this kerfuffle!
Quite the random
choice of NY locations there!
Welcome!
Dear Car-Owner,
Welcome to Boston! It's outsiders like us that make Boston what it is today. Don't let a few left over, cranky townies upset you.
You really need to get over your complex.
Go Cubbies! Go Chicago Sports fans in Boston!
That must be Upstate or Western NY
unless it happens to be one of the 6 or 7 people from Westchester/Rockland counties and points south that would have left a message like that.
In any case, I think the quick answer is to get to the nearest RMV straight away (since you live on Cottage St.) and fix this issue up. Be ready, however, because lots of others are going to ask why the hell you even brought a car to Eastie in the first place.
Citizens Connect -> Report
Citizens Connect -> Report 'abandoned' out of state car parked in residential sticker spot = hilarity ensues.
the problem
The problem is that it's not a residential spot, so they're parked completely legally.
There are other issues here, certainly, but there wasn't much of a need for the original note-writer to get into other people's business like that. Hopefully they can sell their car soon, though, because it sounds like they're just using their street as a free parking spot for a car they don't drive.
Abandoned
According to City policy, any vehicle left on the street for 3 days is considered abandoned. That's ANY VEHICLE, regardless of whether it's a resident permit parking zone or not. That is how they get away with posting "moving signs", etc and towing 48hrs later. If you don't check on your car or move it for days on end, it's abandoned.
"According to city policy"
This describes at least half of the cars parked on the streets. Good luck getting the city to enforce this (and frankly I think if you're not using your car for days/weeks at a time you should either not have a car, or should garage the thing, but that's neither here nor there).
Oh, they will
I've had cars seemingly abandoned around my house on the street (I might not know my neighbors well, but I can place cars with drivers.) I give it maybe a month, then submit to Citizens Connect. They label the car abandoned, and in a day or 2 tow it.
Of course, they are not looking at every car to see if it has been moved, and in any event there's always a chance the car has been moved since BTD went by if they did go to that level.
Honestly, a passive-aggressive note is better than getting it towed by BTD.
Legally abandoned, but that
Legally abandoned, but that doesn't mean they want to tow every car. It just gives them the flexibility to tow if there is a problem or need to move a car.
They used to do that
Then it was revealed that most of the cars weren't at all abandoned and the tow guys were just aggressively hooking any old car they found for the scrap value.
It was a bit of a scandal in the mid-1990s as I recall, and I believe they were forced to change practices due to all the lawsuits.
Then there are unintended consequences of such laws:
http://www.wbaltv.com/i-team/I-Team-Abandoned-car-law-in-Baltimore-helps...
Not necessarily completely legally
If they are a Massachusetts resident and the car is principally garaged here in Massachusetts, but the car has out-of-state plates, then the car is not legally registered, and therefore not parked completely legally, since, as anyone who has received a ticket the week after their registration sticker expires can tell you, legal use of an on-street space requires a current registration.
Citizens Connect -> They actually do something
history ensues.
outta state tags
My neck of Eastie is rife with Rhode Island plates. It's been far longer than 2 months and these things are regularly commuting about. Time to get plates that match your address folks (and pay up to the city and State like the rest of us do).
Not everyone has to get new tags
If you are not a permanent resident, you don't have to switch.
Examples (according to the RMV) include military personnel and students. There are a couple of military folks here on UHub who have out-of-state plates. I kept a vehicle registered out-of-state until I became a permanent resident. As soon as I finished school and no longer lived in student housing, I registered everything in MA.
sure, there are exemptions
But I wouldn't put money on them making up more than 5% of the out of state plates parking in residential neighborhoods - especially ones like East Boston that aren't student-centric. In my Dorchester neighborhood, there are at least half a dozen on a four block stretch that have had out of state tags for years. Pretty irritating when you pay through the nose for insurance rates in such an actuarial hot zone and still can't get a spot. The RMV has a tip line to report these freeloaders, but it unfortunately doesn't do jack.
Not everyone, but probably this one.
Roger all of that, but the "I live here" + "my new job in Boston" is going to be pretty good evidence to support a finding that s/he is a permanent resident.
In this case, yes
She's also an idiot because she not only has to go to the registry and switch her driver's license, but she would likely save money over a couple of months versus paying everything in NY. Even in rural areas, where insurance would be less, her excise taxes would be considerably higher.
Excise tax in NY
Is not a thing. Imagine my surprise moving here and having to pay tax on a car I owned outright every year, plus the usual registration, etc. Mass also bends you over when you switch your license over.
Somehow, my insurance has always been significantly cheaper here than it was in Syracuse though.
Whoa
Adam, not sure why this double posted. Definitely only hit submit once!
"bends you over" = pay what everyone else does?
I'm unclear on why you feel you're exempt from all the things the rest of the state has to pay.
Does the state give you new plates? Did they have to process paperwork? Do you use the roads here?
Yes, yes, yes? Pay your taxes/fees.
I'm not the person in question here
And I pay all of my proper MA taxes, and my car is registered here, thank you very much.
And we're both kind of wrong. Registration and inspection is the same rate, yes, but license is nowhere near what everyone else pays. A new MA Class A, B, C license: $75. Out of state conversion: $140. New D, M: $50. Conversion: $115.
Original post fixed to say they only bend you over for the license part.
Must be something making it more expensive, then
There has been an ongoing whine by NY politicians about all the MA plate cars (and NJ and CT) within their state. People wouldn't do that if it wasn't saving them some money.
Depends on where in Massachusetts
If you've got a summer house in the Berkshires, the insurance alone would be cheaper than, say, Newburgh.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. I get (though don't like) registering in Maine, Vermont, and the state I call Massachusetts North (all the assholes with less taxes) But I can't figure or Rhode Island and Connecticut. The former is so corrupt that everything around government must cost more, while the latter has the highest incomes of any state in the US, so there's no way things like insurance could be cheaper.
And don't get me started on all the people who have moved to the area from Maryland. What am I missing about that?
It's the ridiculously ugly
It's the ridiculously ugly orange New York plates that clash horribly with any possible paint color. ;)
*duplicate post*
deleted.
Student exemption
Maybe the exemption for students should be reviewed. Considering that Boston's "not a big college town" we may want to consider that the population of college students increasingly spilling into residential neighborhoods (including outside of Boston) might necessitate lifting that exemption.
Probably wouldn't work
for students who dorm as opposed to an apartment. Just think of the logistics behind a dorm being a permanent address. Even for students who live off campus, that's a slippery slope. Plus there's also the very muddy "dual residency" card that could be played.
They'd really have to target it and be very specific to make it work.
I think it's even more complicated
The car registration, I believe, isn't necessarily tied to your primary residence. Hypothetically, I believe that, if you're a MA resident, have a vacation home in FL, and a car that you leave in FL full time, you would need to register the car in FL, not MA.
Obviously, there will be situations where someone divides the time their car spends in multiple states (e.g., you drive to and form FL each year and spend 6 months in either location). College students are likely in this situation (not permanent MA residents, and their cars may spend several months of year out-of-state).
This quickly gets beyond my knowledge of the law, but I don't think there's necessarily a special college student exemption. A car that spends 4 months a year in PA, 8 months a year in MA, and is owned by someone with a permanent address in PA, I'd guess a PA registration would be more appropriate. But I don't really know for sure.
boo hoo, "resident"
If I have to pay taxes and high insurance from registering properly to the principal garaging address, so should you. Welcome to Boston.
Suggestions? Leave it home in NY, park it in a private garage with all the other excise evaders, or....here's a thought...do what the law says you're supposed to do, since you say you live here.
read the article!
This person is selling the car! Geesh.
Where's the "selling the car"
Where's the "selling the car" exception in the law on registering vehicles?
And so?
How does, "I'm selling the car some day," exempt her from playing by the same rules that govern the rest of us?
I hate nosy neighborhood busybodies...
BUT! This precious snowflake smugly asks for suggestions as if she's done all she can do and it's ridiculous to suggest otherwise.
I'd call the BTD hourly on this entitled brat until it's towed.
It's me
and I know where you live.....now.
You won't get anywhere by
You won't get anywhere by calling A-7 since they don't enforce anything in Eastie anyway.
But Montanans are the worst
Complaint from Homer Street in East Boston, filed today:
Hotline
From Mass. Registry website:
How do I report someone who has vehicles registered in another state but who lives here?
Report this by calling the "I PAY TAX" hotline at 857-368-8099
Do we know if it's parked illegally?
If so, tag it or tow it.
If not, she's lucky to have found a free space.
Printing
Very nice printing. Cursive writing is a lost art, but this printing is the next best thing.
Really?
Not to be a dick but.... that printing is nothing special (yes. I'm a dick). You gots low standards. (But at least it is legible and doesn't look like it was written by an insane person.)
Two Months?
To sell a car? Just...sell it. Put the damn thing on Craigslist. Take it to a dealer. Or, if you're going to keep it around for a few months, then register it in the state where you are driving it.
There is a Lotus in the North End
I see parked most mornings (before the meters turn on) at the meters on N. Washington Street. Plates are from Iowa. It's been over a year since I started seeing it. Not sure why the guy wouldn't at least rent a space. Perhaps it looks more expensive than it really is?
Tickets are cheaper
I'm guessing paying parking tickets is cheaper than renting a space, see: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/02/meet-most-ticketed-drivers-b...
"CALL 1877KARS4KIDS..."
"Donate your car today..."
Or get in touch with the RMV
By filling one of its I-Pay-Tax Program forms. They really should set up an app for this.
Thanks!
The next time I see a local election sticker on a car with a Florida, Maine, or NH plate ...
You can't have that both ways!
I have filled out these forms
I have filled out these forms multiple times for cars parked for 1-2 years with out of state plates around me. Based on absolutely nothing happening, I'm inclined to think it's a waste of time. However, I'd love to hear first-hand stories of it achieving something if there are any out there.
See also
Exemptions for non-residents and military personnel.
They may have done nothing because the person may not have been doing anything wrong.
seen
That's me in reply to your comment above.
They were neither of those; I can say with 100% certainty. Not from being a super nosy neighbor, but you start to notice certain things after seeing the same car with out of state tags for over a year, knowing where they live, even talking to them, etc. Some of them are "non residents" in their own minds - e.g. have a summer cottage in NH they're at 3/52 weeks of the year so that constitutes the garaging address of the vehicle. They even had the stones to put out space savers last winter on our street.
Did it ever occur to you that
Did it ever occur to you that the people you're ratting on might be college students or military?
If that's the case
Then it should be no problem for a legitimate exemption to be checked off - see Swirly Girl's comment right here. All these drivers contribute to the statistics that determine insurance rates. If thinking they should have to pay based off the same data as me makes me a "rat," I'm fine with it.
They're exempt
Anyone investigating will find an exemption and be on their merry way. It's not ratting if there's no crime.
Kars 4 Kids is a shady
Kars 4 Kids is a shady "charity". And then there is the annoying jingle.
I Am Vehemently Opposed To Children (Or Cats) Driving Cars!
Geez, Elmer
Just because Toonces was a bad driver doesn't mean all cats are.
To Give Them Credit, Some Are Excellent Skateboarders!
Adorable
;-)
More goofy passive aggressiveness
This person of course, doesn't have to apologize for anything, let alone leave this silly note.
Except...
Except, of course, for cheating the rest of us by not paying the taxes and fees that he or she is supposed to be paying.
Grow up
Grow up
I'd buy that car
And then just leave it in that space, since I have no need for a car.
This New Yorker isn't quite
This New Yorker isn't quite ready for the adult world if she's begging for suggestions on how to legally park her car... sorry, but no one cares. Figure it out! It's not that tricky.
Not one ticket?
So wait, this car has been parked in a resident-only spot with out-of-state plates for months now? And has not gotten ANY tickets yet? Once you have gotten 5 unpaid tickets (I believe its 5), you are set to get booted next. From what I witness, they are usually pretty fast at ticketing non-residents in the resident spots. What about for street cleaning? Can she really be sweet talking every meter maid that shows up every single day at all hours? Or paying off the tickets before they add up to a boot? Something is missing in this story.
Intriguing
I find it interesting that everyone here has pegged the author of the note as female.
Based upon the handwriting I would have said the owner was male.
Not trying to stir anything up, just found it interesting. :)
indeed
it is. Although Adam put a "she" in the lede, people started out addressing the car owner/note writer directly with "you" and then there were some "they"s used. Issacg used the "s/he" pronoun and Swirly responded with the "she." So we can blame Adam.
Adam how do you know this is a woman? Looking at that handwriting sample (which was already analyzed in these here comments) I'd peg it as male as well.
jeez, we get a lot of mileage out of trivial bullshit.
I'm anon @ 4:05pm
and called it a she, due to handwriting! Lol
Transgender...
Could very well be transgendered writing.
Glad we're focusing on the real issues.......gag.
I've been living in MA for five years now and couldn't bring myself to willingly become a masshole. Boston overcharges me for other stuff and even charges me an extra tax payment for my parking space. Suck. It. MA.
Extra tax for parking space?
Explain?
condo parking
If you own your space in some condos it's deeded separately and you have to pay tax on it. Guessing a bit but that's probably what they are talking about.
Parking spot tax bill
I get a separate tax bill from the city for my off street parking spot, it's nuts.
Is it a deeded space?
Is it a deeded space?
So you own a spot
Which is your real property, and you are being taxed for this, and you think it is wrong?
I gotta contact the assessing department. I've got a driveway and yard they are completely unfairly taxing me on.
poor you
You must be the only one who has to pay these kinds of things.
Judging from the comments, we
Judging from the comments, we're not just a passive-aggressive world class city, we're a very whiny world-class city. Whaaaa! Out-of-state plates on my street!
well
When you pay your dues to live and drive here and someone who cheats the system -- even saving spots during the winter season for their illegally registered cars -- people tend to get a little pissed off. Though this being UHub, I wouldn't be surprised if many of the people dismissing this or calling anyone raising the issue "whiny" don't even own a car or drive.