Data Inc. of Newport Beach

I believe BART's parking system is managed by another company.

I do not think it is confusing on purpose, I think it is confusing because it is a shitty system run by incompetent idiots who have no interest in taking the time to try to change things to make them easier to understand.

The entire BART system is run this way. There is a very arrogant "I figured out how to do it so why can't you?" mentality from the people in charge, even though almost none of them ever ride BART. There are so many easy improvements that could be make to make riding and understanding the system easier and more enjoyable for everyone involved, but nobody ever wants to do anything.

It is a crying shame.

Citation *processing* was contracted out years ago. BART Police still have parking enforcement responsibilities, but once the citation is issued, the electronic information is sent to a third party vendor on a daily basis. This has been the trend for years. Citation handling at the police station (bundling, tracking and sending to the respective judicial jurisdictions) is expensive. The courts too didn't like to process parking tickets - it's even more expensive on their end. When the courts wanted to impose a per ticketing processing fee, the issuing agencies were left out of loop, since agencies couldn't impose such "fees." The third party route was the win-win for all involved. The third party vendor handles everything, from notification, fine collection and reporting, to limited dispute resolution. Large and small cities have turned to third party citation processing. BART is a special district authorized to enforce parking regulations and other government operations. As for reporting the $35 failure to pay to DMV - well everyone in CA is doing that - it's standard procedure for all jurisdictions. In the past, some cities had a policy of towing vehicles away for outstanding parking tickets, in essence impounding pending payment + penalities and fees. Does your city have a "Denver Boot" option? Fortunately, BART does not.

Unless a sign has been torn down or vandalized, BART must comply legally to proper parking signage not only for the casual user but also with it's regular commuters. Your post didn't state if you parked in the reserved parking section prior to 10AM, nor did you expressly state you entered the San Bruno BART Station to ride BART. All stalls are fair game after 10AM, but a fee is required from 4AM to 3PM unless you have a sticker for pre-paid reserve parking. The $1 fee is collected inside the station (after entering the fare gates) in cash or deducted from your ticket. Signs are everywhere. There should have been a station agent on duty to show you what to do. Paying for the parking fee outside the station was not an option for BART - as it would be almost like free parking for a day for casual carpoolers.

Although, as you state it was last month, I would suggest writing a very *polite* letter, detailing the facts of your citation, your circumstances, making a copy of the citation and sending it to the police traffic officer (see their website). Who knows, it's worth a .44 cents investment on a $35 fine. The police may not have any flexilibity after so many days, but it's worth a try.

Disclaimer: When BART put the RFP out on the street, I was hired as an analyst for a consulting firm to examine the "details." BART is one of the most complex parking administration programs around - the four counties, multiple cities and jurisdictions made it one of the most challenging one's in the nation to manage.

Pat,
I feel your pain. Don't feel singled out, though: the confusing or lack of proper signage at BART is egalitarian in who it ensnares. I think everyone in the Bay Area who uses BART has been dinged at least once while trying to park at the stations.
The parking citation philosophy at BART is pretty much in line with the adage: "kill them all and let God sort them out."
Sounds like your efforts to appeal were in vain. The extortion of tacking it on to your car registration is a real threat. You should pay the $35 so it isn't $75 or $100 on your next registration. Sorry about your bad BART experience.

i still don't understand this. your post makes it sound like you were fully aware that you had to pay the $1 fee, but you didn't know how to pay it so you just got on the train and went your merry way?

if you knew there was a fee, why didn't you ask a station agent or passenger how you go about paying?