Elderly couple get a fine of $1,500 for parking in the driveway on their property
It is not easy to find parking in a city and, for those who live there, owning a garage is the best way to be sure to find a parking space every day when you come home. Judy and Ed Craine, an elderly couple living on a steep hill in San Francisco, USA, have used the paved driveway near their home as a parking lot for 36 years. But suddenly, they were forbidden to do so by the authorities. One day, they found a letter from the local municipality, accompanied by a very high fine.
via ABC7
Pixabay - Not the Actual Photo
The couple recounted the bizarre affair on local television, explaining that city officials sent them a letter instructing them not to park on the sidewalk of their property, accompanied by a fine of $1,500 dollars and the threat of an additional fines of $250 dollars per day if they continued to park in the driveway.
"It's amazing that we were suddenly told we can't use something we've used for years," commented Ed Craine. Dan Sider, head of town planning, said a decades-old city law, aimed at preserving a neighborhood's aesthetics, prohibits residents from parking cars in their back yards. Officials took a look at the Craines' property after receiving an anonymous complaint.
Pixabay - Not the Actual Photo
"I understand that the owner of the property is frustrated. I think I would feel the same way in their situation too," explained Sider. The Planning Department advised the couple that they could get a waiver if they proved that the parking space was historically located on their property.
"We could be declared as owners if we could give them a historical photo showing a car or horse-drawn buggy in the parking area," said Judy Craine.
After some research, the couple found a 34-year-old photo that showed part of a car visible in the spot, but city officials rejected the evidence, explaining that the photo was not old enough. So the couple searched again, and found a photo dating back to 1938 that showed a car or a buggy parked in the parking spot. But once again, the municipality rejected the proof, stating that "the image is not it was clear enough."
Eventually, the City of San Francisco decided to cancel the find as long as the couple agrees to stop parking on the sidewalk. The officials also specified that if the Craines build a roof over the paved property, they will be able to resume parking there in full compliance with the highway code.
