MTB wrote:3. I was once parked with half of the car before the sign, and half after the sign. Some flexibility never hurts and this could have been overlooked by parking wardens, but I got the fine. No issue until here. After my car, there were other 2 cars without a fine, with the last one blocking the tram railway, and the tram waiting. Tough luck. I went away with the fine, the tram stayed.
I once wondered why there was a no parking zone on the beginning of a side street (for 15 meters or so), after which parking was allowed. It seemed to me that there would be no harm in someone parking on that restriced section. Then, once I happened to walk past as a delivery truck was trying to negotiate the intersection, needing all the available space. If someone had parked even half their car illegally, the truck would not have been able to make the turn. In other words, the restrictions are not random, even though for someone driving a normal car they might occasionally seem that way.
MTB wrote:
5. How is possible that a private company is issuing parking fines?
They're not. You're entering a contract by parking into a private area, and if you neglect to follow the terms of that contract, you're issued an administrative fee. Quite right if you ask me, I'm completely sick of people parking their cars where they're not supposed to. There's new legislation on this coming in the near future, hopefully they're able to find a proper solution.
MTB wrote:6. There was some official from municipality saying in a newspaper that parking fines are an important source of income for them, and they pay their (parking warden) salaries out of that. This is very wrong, as in any law systems it is specified that the purpose of fines is coercive, and not to raise money for the budget or pay salaries. Because main concern of a traffic warden should be reinforcing the meaning of the law, and not the form it is written. For example, what if (theoretical example) my wheel is 1 cm over the painted stripe on the ground? As long as the other car can park safely and doesn't complain or is not impeded in any way, then a fine should not be given. If car is one centimeter over the line and some other person complains, then a fine should be given.
What he meant is that the income from parking fines is greater than the expense from parking enforcement. The money is by no means earmarked for any particular purpose.
MTB wrote:7. How come I am checked for drunk driving once every 3 years, but I get 3 parking fines per year?
And then occasionally there are some gun incidents in schools and supermarkets, but no worries, most of the people parked their car correctly when they went shooting. Unfortunately this activity doesn't pay off, as criminals usually don't pay their fines, so not enough budget raised for salaries.
The police have no reason to suspect you're drunk unless you give them that. The parking wardens have no reason to write you a fine unless you give them that.