We dropped off our car for a brake job at Michael G's Garage in Cibolo this past week. They do a great job on autos, without milking their customers. Over the past few years we've spent a couple thousand to have these top notch, honest mechanics keep our vehicles in top running condition.
So we're driving along Main Street in Cibolo in my pickup truck. I braked carefully down to 20 mph to account for the school zone. And there's a Cibolo police patrol car parked sideways across a side street. Main Street in Cibolo, it should be noted, is little more than a roller coaster of a street, which may account for the enthusiasm the cops have for issuing citations - they need money to repair this poorly maintained roadway.
I noticed my inspection sticker was expired, and had been expired since July.
I told the cop we were headed to the garage, where our car had been repaired and inspected, and that we would get the truck inspected.
He issued a ticket anyway. I got the truck inspected and went straightaway to Cibolo City Hall, to the municipal court window.
"You're inspection sticker was expired more than 60 days," replied the woman at the window. You'll have to pay the full amount.
Yes, this was my fault. If the sticker had been expired for less than 60 days, I would have gotten away with a $10 fine. But I have to pay $145, plus another $25 for citation issued in a school zone.
I'm going to pay the ticket. But I'm also going to stop taking our cars to Michael G's garage. We will no longer buy barbecue at Harmon's Barbecue.
In short, we will no longer do any business in Cibolo, or spend any money that might end up in city coffers.
We refuse to patronize any businesses in Cibolo, and I will warn anyone who will listen to stay away from Cibolo. In my opinion, the speed trap on FM 78 and the police entrapment zone on Cibolo's Main Street is nothing less than a scam on motorists perpetrated to loosen money from their wallets, with no exceptions made in any instance. I told that cop we were headed straight for the garage, but apparently his marching orders are to extort anything he can get.
In my opinion, Cibolo is left with short shrift because the money we would spend in the future on auto repairs or patronizing Cibolo businesses would amount to much more than the cost of the traffic fine.
Cibolo police patrols also frequent the portion of FM 78 that runs through this little town. The 50 mph speed limit is strictly enforced. Motorists in Guadalupe and surrounding counties should avoid this suburb like the plague.
2 comments:
Wait.
You are saying that your inspection sticker was expired, and then you go ahead and blame the garage?
And now you won't do business with the small town that this happened in because the cop issued a citation - rightly - for something that was (very) expired?
I usually agree that some tickets are asshattery, and used to raise money (esp. if you say the town needs it), but you need to take some personal responsibility here. It is not the mechanic's job to make sure that you have taken care of your car's bureaucratic duties - it's yours.
You're right. I don't blame the mechanic. I blame the cop and the city's greedy system for collecting revenue from motorists. Wouldn't be so bad if they would at least fix up the roads. As for the mechanic, this garage is the best in the region, bar none. We tried someone else, and got ripped off. We won't, cannot, boycott the mechanic.
As for being responsible, my car passed the inspection without any needed repairs.
Okay?
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