Scarsdale 10583

Dear Scarsdale10583: Though I love living in Scarsdale, lately I feel that the Village is waiting to fine me excessively for minor offenses.

For the past 20 years, workmen and handymen have parked on the street in front of our home while they worked. However, in the past two months we have received three $30 tickets for parking next to our own front walk. The other morning we pulled the car up in front our house to load it for a big trip – and minutes later a policemen appeared and told us we were to be fined for parking in the wrong direction, as the front of the car was facing the wrong way.

And these fines are not limited to parking at home. Last week I was in the Village and parked on Chase Road in front of the Christie Place Sales Office. I put money in the meter but later found out that one could only park there after 3 PM and was given a ticket. Why is this necessary when construction on Christie Place was completed long ago and the office appeared to be closed. I later found out that three of my daughters friends received parking tickets in the village that same day.

Two friends have told me stories of outrageous fines they received for violating the 15 MPH speed limit in front of the Scarsdale Middle School. One friend was stopped for speeding on a Jewish holiday when the school was closed. He was travelling 40 mph and paid a $400 fine.

Now there’s a new fee to pay. If you violate the watering restrictions, you are subject to a fine of $250 per day. And if you cut down a tree on your own property without a permit, you’ll be assessed $250 per tree; no matter what danger the tree poses to you or your home. And pity the poor landscapers … $100 - $200 fees for using a leaf blower? Where will this end?

Signed,
Frustrated Taxpayer

Comments (7)

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written by anonymous, August 29, 2010

Despite the restrictions on lawn mowers, power tools, etc. before 10 am on the weekends, the same rule doesn't seem to apply to country clubs in the village. I've called the police twice regarding lawn mowers at a country club at 6 am on a weekend, but the police aren't interested in giving the clubs or their contractors a summons apparently.

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written by Anonymous, August 29, 2010

Dont forget the FEE for having a alarm permit that runs around $100..... think they should give you money back, since having an alarm should help make it easy for the police force....but I guess they are busy giving parking tickets

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written by Anonymous, August 29, 2010

I'm glad that the Police are ticketing for speeding. I think there should be more enforcement of speeding on our residential streets -- especially surrounding the schools. I have seen far too many reckless drivers speeding through our streets as people try to back out of their driveways.

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written by Scarsdale patron, August 27, 2010

Don't even get me started on the "ticket" situation in Scarsdale or the surrounding towns for that matter. It really rubs me the wrong way when there are signs everywhere asking us to patronzie locally because the economy is suffering. In return we are slammed with unecessary parking tickets. I shall think twice now when deciding where to shop.

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written by Withheld, August 26, 2010

The other day i commented to my husband that the Village motto seemed to be "Welcome to Scarsdale. There's a fee for that." It isn't just the police, Village Hall does it too.

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written by resident, August 26, 2010

It makes you wonder what the police hope to accomplish by cultivating an adversarial relationship with the public. When I was growing up, I was taught that the police were there to help and protect us. Now the message my children get is that the police exist to find nit-picky ways to write tickets. Unfortunate.

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written by Anonymous, August 26, 2010

I received a ticket for no seatbelt even though I had it on when stopped. Pulling out of Di Cicco's I couldn't get around to see out the back and had to remove the belt. While the police officer was writing my ticket, a buddy in a volvo pulled up and chatted. I noticed the driver wasn't wearing a seatbelt and mentioned it to the officer-he said the dirver was undercover and police don't have to buckle up. The ticket was $75- the village fees amounted to $ 135 for a grand total of $210. It had to be paid by bank check. I was shocked.

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