<p>I just received an illegal parking ticket today. My school's parking lot was completely full. I spent over 40 minutes going around and still couldn't find a single spot. I was late, so I decided to park in the nearby neighborhood. I did check to see if there's any signs that say no parking, but as I recall, there was just one that said no parking on Thursday. </p>
<p>And even worse, when I was reading the ticket, the street sweeper was actually moving up right behind. I got out of the way as fast as I could. Who knows what they were thinking back there. I am not worried about paying $47 for the ticket, but I am worried that it might leave a negative mark on my profile. What's the worse thing that can happen? I feel really embarrassed right now.</p>
<p>The worst thing that could happen is if you didn’t pay the ticket and the school withheld your diploma! Pay the ticket and there will be no problem.</p>
<p>I got scolded my my dad already. And I will never hear the end of this when my mom and brother get back, even though they themselves have gotten tickets before. It was probably better if I just paid for it in secret. These Asians would jump at any chance to play the saint game.</p>
<p>If the sign said ‘no parking on Thursday’, and you parked there on a Tuesday, then I would challenge the ticket, unless the area is for residential parking only (not all that uncommon in some college towns).</p>
<p>Also the school probably won’t care 9or even know about) a municipal parking ticket. if it was an on campus ticket, then they might withhold transcripts/grades/diplomas/registration privileges until the fine is paid.</p>
<p>I don’t even think that you did anything “wrong”. You made a calculation that it was worth $47 times the probability of getting a ticket not to not be late. I’ve done that many times. Only half the time do I actually get a ticket. </p>
<p>Around certain neighborhoods in Boston, people regularly “allocate” a percentage of their monthly parking budget to tickets since they give out more resident stickers than there are spots. Basically, if people can’t find resident spots, they park somewhere like a meter or loading zone KNOWING they will get a ticket. If that happens less than 10% of the time, it’s still cheaper than renting a private space. </p>
<p>This is so not a big deal if you just pay the ticket and chalk it up to the cost of owning a car in your city. </p>
<p>If you don’t pay your ticket you could very well find yourself with a warrant outstanding for your arrest. The next time you get stopped for anything (speeding, etc.), the cops will run you through the system, the warrant will pop up, and you WILL go to jail until bailed out. Pay it.</p>