Are You Making These 5 Common NYC Parking Ticket Mistakes?

Last Updated on March 9, 2019 by Lawrence Berezin

5 common NYC parking ticket mistakes, and how to fix ’em

To help you from making parking ticket mistakes, I’ve got my ear to the ground, my finger on the pulse, and my eye in the sky searching for the latest and most popular questions from our driving community. I’ll generally publish a SlideShare presentation, blog post, or reply to a blog comment to spread the word.

I had a thought. Would it be helpful if I added some context to the presentations? In other words, tell some stories about how the various mistakes occur in the real world of New York City parking tickets?

Let’s give it a try…Check out the Slideshare presentation below. After reading the questions, refer to the blog post for some real-life context.

[slideshare id=29706452&doc=nypt-ebook-areyoumakingthese5commonnycparkingticketmistakes-pdf-140105102414-phpapp02]

Parking ticket mistake #1

Ah, those wonderful street cleaning days. A time to meet and greet your neighbors, and catch up on neighborhood gossip while double parking on the unrestricted side of the street. It’s amazing how double parking is legal in your neighborhood…Until parking ticket quota time.

Here are the wow parts…I’ve spoken with many people who explained that they fully appreciate it’s illegal to double park on street cleaning days. But, the cops and warriors rarely issue parking tickets. They believe it’s worth it to get an occasional $115 double parking ticket during the course of the year, rather than to endlessly circle the block. I get the point.

But, please make it a rational decision, rather than to perpetuate the myth that double parking is legal on street cleaning days.

Parking ticket mistake #2

Muni-meters are no longer the wave of the future. They are officially the wave of the present. How the driving public engages with these robot toll takers will dictate how much extra money they spend on parking in NYC. Fortunately, the NYC Council has passed some terrific laws removing some of the venoms, but it is incumbent upon us to work the laws to our benefit.

One of the biggest blunders in engaging with a muni-meter is knowing what to do if the muni-meter is broken. Can you park for free? Technically, yes, you can park for free. But, is it worth the time and effort?

I suggest NOT parking at a broken muni-meter because the rules require you to search out all the muni-meters in the parking zone (both sides of a City block), and purchase time from a working muni-meter. Believe me, your dinner will get cold, or the show will be over by the time you finish your mission.

Not only do you have to seek out a working muni-meter, but if you don’t find one in the entire parking zone, you must document that all the muni-meters were, in fact, broken. I promise you by the time you return to your chariot, there will be a parking ticket waiting for you under the windshield.

Parking ticket mistake #3

One of my favorite new laws is the one that requires a parking ticket judge to dismiss a parking ticket for failure to display a muni-meter receipt upon submission of a paid receipt…Yea! Your pocketbook is no longer subject to the mood of the parking ticket judge hearing your case.

An NYC parking ticket for failure to display generally occurs when a driver places the muni-meter receipt face down on the dashboard…Or, it somehow falls off the dashboard onto the floor of your car.

Simply dispute the violation by mailing a short defense letter accompanied by a copy of the paid muni-meter receipt. Please be sure that the time on the receipt is within 5 minutes of the time the violation occurred, and wait for the good news.

Parking ticket mistake #4

Learning is relentless repetition, and I’ve relentlessly repeated the activity a driver can do in a No Standing zone. A driver can stop temporarily to drop off or pick up a passenger and skedaddle. But, cannot stop and wait, get out of the car, or dance.

Is it legal for a passenger vehicle to double park in NYC?

To be continued ad nauseam…

Parking ticket mistake #5

Are you still reluctant to park in front of a pedestrian ramp located mid-block without:

• Crosswalks
• Traffic control devices
• Traffic signs

Frankly, I don’t blame you because cops and warriors are still issuing parking tickets for parking in front of LEGAL pedestrian ramps. What amazes me is one of the rationales I hear is that a driver is doing a disservice to a person with disabilities. Hogwash, would you let your child cross in the middle of a busy New York City street without crosswalks, traffic control devices, or traffic signs? Of course not.

Then why would you expect a person with disabilities to venture across the street, jaywalk, and risk serious injuries? C’mon man. Learn the law, and enforce it correctly; instead of betting that the visitor from Utah will not know the rules and pay the parking fine no questions asked.

Have you ever gotten a red light or speed camera ticket? If so, you may want to check out the helpful article.