As of: March 13, 2024, 9:14 a.m
By: Bernhard Pelka
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Otmar snorts in front of his trailer, which he has to drag to the other side of the street to hitch up because of the parking ban in front of his house.
© Bernhard Pelka
Because he brought crates of water to his sick parents while standing in a no-parking zone, a man from Rodgau in Hesse is due a fine of 55 euros.
Rodgau-Jügesheim - Otmar Schnaubelt feels harassed by the city's regulatory authorities.
The former authorized representative of a large financial institution is to pay a fine of 55 euros because a car registered to him was illegally parked on the sidewalk for a few minutes.
The administrative offense proceedings got rolling after Schnaubelt's son parked in a car registered to his father in front of his parents' house at Wasserfallstrasse 11B in Rodgau (Offenbach district) from 6:34 p.m. to 6:38 p.m. in February.
The son quickly brought a few cases of mineral water into the house to help his parents, who were in poor health after operations - and drove away without noticing that it had been written down.
Otmar Schnaubelt thinks it is “petty and brazen” to immediately collect a warning fine because of such an issue.
“There is a construction site opposite our house.
There are always craftsman cars there.
You can hardly ever park there,” says the pensioner, describing the predicament.
Nevertheless, there is actually an absolute no-parking policy in front of Schnaubelt's house.
In addition, parking on sidewalks is generally prohibited in Rodgau in order to create space for pedestrians, children, seniors and the disabled.
The bans have far-reaching consequences for the 67-year-old.
There is a trailer on his property.
It is loaded regularly.
The Rodgauer then couples the trailer to his car. If the man strictly followed the city's prohibitions, that would mean he would have to drag his trailer to the other side of the street for this procedure in order to couple it there in accordance with the rules.
Parking is only allowed there.
“That’s crazy.”
Traffic ticket trouble in Rodgau: the person affected looks for a lawyer
Parking on the sidewalk costs a fine of 55 euros.
Even if it's just minutes.
© Bernhard Pelka
In response to a request from our newspaper, the public order authority in the town hall informed our newspaper through a city press spokeswoman that there was no scope for discretion in this case.
Neither when it comes to the minute ticket nor when it comes to trailers.
Anyone who is absolutely not allowed to stop is acting “wrong from the first second”.
And Mr Schnaubelt still has the option of coupling the trailer on his own property.
According to his own statements, the Jügesheimer is not alone with the annoyance of minute fines.
A neighbor had a similar experience not far from the Shell gas station on Weiskircher Strasse.
She only waited a few minutes on the side of the road until the space at the gas station was free so that she could add air to the tires: a parking ticket.
Schnaubelt is now seeking legal advice.
“I have an appointment next week.” (Bernhard Pelka)
Long history
Since mid-2022, the public order police have been gradually and consistently punishing illegal sidewalk parking on more and more local streets.
It had been quietly tolerated for decades.
Until November 2021, parking on the sidewalk cost exactly 20 euros (30 euros with disabilities).
Since 2022 it has cost 55 euros (with disabilities 70 euros).
The city is only allowed to collect warning fines of up to 55 euros.
Anything beyond that will be collected by the fines office at the Kassel regional council.
In October 2022, Wasserfallstraße, where Otmar Schnaubelt lives, was one of the streets in Rodgau where the city bus number 40 could no longer get through due to illegal parking.
In response to the strict punishment for parking on sidewalks, drivers parked their vehicles on the road without observing the legal minimum distances.
The bus was blocked.
The city responded by introducing a unilateral, absolute parking ban.
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