There is no Justice in Amherst Massachusetts. Laws in Amherst are enforced and ignored at the convenience of the Town.  An example of this is the abuse of parking laws .

Amherst parking laws are over enforced because these laws can make money for the town.  Amherst’s parking ticket appeal laws are ignored by the Town because they are inconvenient.

Amherst Permit Parking Regulations state:

“Any person aggrieved by an such decision of the Town Manager, or any decision of the Parking Enforcement Supervisor under these regulations may appeal said decision in writing to the Parking Commission which shall be authorized to hear and act upon such appeals.”

But even having a Parking Commission to appeal tickets is inconvenient to the Town of Amherst, and so this line of appeal was eliminated after the construction of the Town parking garage and never reinstated.

Simply put, if you have a disagreement about parking in Amherst, your only appeal is to Clare McGinnis.  If this appeal fails, your only next option is to sue the Town of Amherst Massachusetts in Superior Court, which could be fun if you enjoy that kind of thing.

The filing fee for a law suit in Superior court is $275.00, plus your lawyers fees, and if you win your case the maximum amount you will be able to recover is your $10.00 parking ticket fine.  Or, if you do not pay the parking fine you will not be able to get your drivers license renewed.  For this reason it is clear why Amherst, MA has over a 97% parking ticket collections rate.

My recommendation is, DO NOT COME TO AMHERST MASSACHUSETTS.  You are not safe in Amherst Massachusetts.  No one is safe in Amherst Massachusetts.

List

After some research of the parking bylaws and regulations of Amherst, MA I have found a case of the Town being in violation of its own codes.  This list will grow as I have time to do more research.
I have found one Amherst parking regulation that states:

“Any person aggrieved by an such decision of the Town Manager, or any decision of the Parking Enforcement Supervisor under these regulations may appeal said decision in writing to the Parking Commission which shall be authorized to hear and act upon such appeals.”

Here is the full text of these: Amherst Permit Parking Regulations.

The problem is, that the Town of Amherst, Massachusetts dismissed the Parking Commission years ago and has chosen not to reinstate it.  This leaves a gap in the parking appeals process between the Town Hearings officer, Town Manager, and the Municipal Court.

Simply stated, if have a disagreement about your Town parking permit, if at first you get a no, your only next option is to sue the Town.

As I understand it, the filing fee for a law suit over a parking ticket is $275.00, not to mention lawyers fees, and if you win your case the maximum amount you will be able to recover is the $8.00 fine.  Or, if you choose to not pay the parking fine you will not be able to get your drivers license renewed.  It is clear why Amherst, MA has over a 97% parking ticket collections rate.

My recommendation is, DON’T COME TO AMHERST MASS.  If we can empty the streets, even for a short time, this would send a message to the town to act more  responsibly in their enforcement of law.