I would be interested in seeing first hand the documents that empower CARTA employees to issue a parking summons. A parking ticket is a binding legal summons, supposedly issued by an officer of the court. Actual Meter Maids are real police officers. Will CARTA ticket agents be cops too?
When were bus drivers deputized? What authority will the city have to enforce parking summons when CARTA employees have no street training, legal training or enforcement experience? I'd enjoy observing a test case as CARTA defends its law enforcement mandate, and the Chattanooga City Council hammered by appellate courts as to their legal ability to met out justice by unqualified and unlicensed bus drivers.
Five times in 20 years a CARTA bus has almost T-boned me. And each call to complain is met with the same rationale: "Look, Buddy, have you ever tried to stop one of those things?"
A parting gift envisioned by the RLA (Ron Littlefield Administration). The stink will linger. This city will either remember Ron as they remember Dick Nixon, or better yet, not at all.
David D. Fihn, Sr.
Hixson
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I agree with Mr. Fihn when he points out the there appears to be no legal underpinning for turning over city parking enforcement to CARTA. But the situation is even more egregious than Mr Fihn suggests.
CARTA has subcontracted parking enforcement to Republic Parking. Name one company that has more to gain by forcing parked cars off the city streets.
This is a fox-and-henhouse situation if there ever was one.
Everett Kidder
Chattanooga