Richard Moody, Crested Butte, Colorado
I recently had the misfortune to experience Princeton Borough’s inefficient court system at its worst.
Deciding to challenge a parking ticket in court, I was instructed to appear at 10.30 am. On arrival at the court room at 10.20 a.m. to discover that some attendees had already been sitting in court since 9.15 am, I was given a card with the number 32, which I learned was the order in which I would be called in to see the prosecutor before eventually going before the judge.
Two hours later, after Judge Goldman had taken at least two approximately 30 minute breaks, I was appalled to learn that the prosecutor had only reached number 14 on the list of attendees. Some three hours after my arrival, I was finally called in to meet with the prosecutor who dismissed my parking ticket but charged me a $20 court fee. I then had to go before the judge who confirmed the dismissal but would not waive the court fee.
What sort of system keeps an individual sitting in court for three hours, dismisses the fine and then charges a fee for time wasted? Answer: A system presumably designed to drive individuals to give up waiting in court due to time constraints or not attend court at all. But instead pay the fine regardless of guilt so that increased revenue can be generated by the borough. I have since learned of tickets given when the parking meter was still in the “green” especially to those with out of state plates who presumably cannot be in Princeton to challenge the false charge in this painfully slow court.
Parking in Princeton Borough appears to be a nightmare at the best of times. Limited spaces, high parking charges, lengthy court appearances plus court fees for the innocent are enough to keep visitors from enjoying the pleasures of an otherwise delightful historic town.
Richard Moody
Crested Butte, Colo.
