CHICAGO – As far as condiments go, most people wouldn't want to see it on their hot dog.
A parking ticket topped the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile after it was left parked illegally on a downtown Chicago thoroughfare.
The 27-foot fiberglass sausage was ticketed Thursday morning after its driver parked it on Michigan Avenue and left it on the side of the six-lane road with the hazard lights blinking.
A police officer ticketed the vehicle and radioed for a tow truck, but the car's driver and passenger returned before the truck arrived.
"The situation was resolved without the use of ketchup, which in Chicago is a big thing," said Matt Smith of the city's Streets and Sanitation Department.
Smith said a city tow truck could have done the job, if necessary.
"We have access to tow trucks that could have handled a Polish sausage, not just a hot dog," Smith said.
Parking on a street marked "Parking/Standing Prohibited Anytime" is a $50 violation, said Ed Walsh, a spokesman for the city's Department of Revenue.
Kraft spokeswoman Sydney Lindner said the Wienermobile is on a nationwide tour promoting a contest to sing the Oscar Mayer jingle in a commercial.
She said illegal parking is against company policy, "even if you're driving a company vehicle that's shaped like a giant hot dog."
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