Next, was this...

So, ever since Town Square Delaware published my piece on the whole parking in Wilmington issue and Rick Jensen has shared the information on his show, I've been getting dozens of stories from people about their experiences in Delaware's largest city, including:

- Individuals getting tickets for parking in handicapped parking spaces, even though they had clearly marked tags and stickers
- People finding out about their parking tickets in the mail with a late fee
- Tickets issued to business people in loading zones - while they are loading
- A car being "booted" for parking tickets from 7 years ago, which were paid, then the car owner having to pay for the boot removal, even though it was the city that was in the wrong
- As the News Journal reported earlier this year, parking tickets issued while time is still on the parking meter

I've been facing this crisis of conscience - should I continue to promote events, concerts, conferences, and more in the city of Wilmington knowing that you, my trusted friends, could be subjected to the horrors of an unjust, draconian, heartless, arguably brainless bureaucracy that seems to have no real oversight from Wilmington City Officials? While I want to support the business owners and organizations in the city who are making incredible things happen, and I want you to know about awesome events and opportunities, I can't put you at the mercy of an overzealous organization that seems to regularly ignore logic, decency, and the law in an effort to issue as many tickets as possible - legitimate or not.

Then it hit me - with every event I let you know about in Wilmington, I'll include a "Risk-o-meter" rating to let you know how much you may be at risk for getting a ticket. This will be based on the location of the event and the time of day/week.

If the risk is moderate to high, I recommend parking at a garage or using public transportation to get to the venue (my wife and I have done this a couple of times - it's fun, convenient, and cheaper than driving!).

I hope you find this useful - and please, if you have a parking story, feel free to share it with me.