On the morning of Tuesday, January 29, some residents of Ridgely’s Delight woke up to an unexpected surprise as they left their homes: their cars had been towed.
Many cars on the 300 and 600 blocks of South Fremont Avenue, Conway Street, and Washington Boulevard were issued citations for parking in a “No Stop/Stand/Park” area, at spots where residents had been regularly parking their vehicles. Less fortunate vehicle owners had their cars towed from Washington Boulevard and the 300 block of South Fremont Avenue. Several of the vehicles that were ticketed and towed belonged to UMB students and employees who reside in Ridgely’s Delight.
These incidents in Ridgely’s occurred on the same day that President Bush visited Baltimore. According to the Baltimore Sun, some streets were closed to traffic as Bush’s motorcade drove through the city en route to an East Baltimore alcohol addiction program.
In the past, Baltimore officials have prohibited parking in certain areas of Ridgely’s Delight for scheduled maintenance along the roads or adjacent structures. According to several neighborhood residents, “no parking” flyers were typically conspicuously placed along the street two to three days prior to the anticipated street closure. However, residents allege that, in this instance, they did not receive adequate advance noticed regarding the parking changes in Ridgely’s. City
Ronald Kasl, a UMB employee and a resident of Ridgely’s Delight, said he saw no signs or flyers on the 600 block of South Fremont Avenue as late as 7:00 p.m. the previous evening. Kasl has been communicating via email with the mayor’s office and the city police regarding the parking citation he received.
A spokesperson reached by phone at the public affairs office of the Baltimore City police declined to comment and referred questions regarding the incident to the United States Secret Service.
Mark James, president of the Ridgely’s Delight Association and himself a resident of Conway Street, claimed not have seen “no parking” flyers on Conway Street until late afternoon of the previous day. However, James does concede that certain areas of Washington Boulevard had flyers posted on Sunday, January 27.
James believes that flyers should have been posted on affected streets over the weekend in order to offer residents sufficient time to find alternate parking. He plans to organize a petition for residents affected by the citations and towings to file their complaint with Baltimore City officials.
Residents seeking additional information regarding the petition should contact Mark James, president of the Ridgely’s Delight Association at mjames@jmt.com.
2008 Woodie Awards
