Alert: 7 Invisible NYC Parking Ticket Enemies Revealed

Last Updated on July 7, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin

No parking sign, painted curb, or notice of the parking rule required by parking law

Have you felt the sting of a parking ticket warrior’s scanner and had no idea what parking rule you violated? I often hear the plaintiff cry of the  NYC driving public, as follows:

• “The curb was not painted yellow to indicate a distance of 15 feet from the fire hydrant”
• “There was no sign prohibiting parking in front of a driveway”
• “There was no sign prohibiting blocking the box”
• “There was no sign prohibiting double parking”
• “How was I supposed to know it was a safety zone and I can’t park there?”

I feel your pain, and absolutely, positively understand your confusion.

The invisible enemy revealed

Unbeknownst to the driving public, there are certain parking rules that do not need a parking sign, or any physical notice whatsoever, to bite you in the wallet. Here is a list of your seven invisible enemies:

• Double parking
• Driveways
• Parks
• Bus lane
• Railroad crossings
• Safety zones
• Pedestrian ramps

Knowledge is power:

Here is a statement or paraphrase of the rules, which can be found at 34 RNYC Chapter 4-08(f)

• Double parking-I trust we all know what double parking means. The exceptions are important to know:
  • A commercial vehicle may double park outside of Midtown while expeditiously making a delivery or service call; as long as there is no parking space or designated loading zone on either side of the street within 100 feet
  • A private passenger vehicle may temporarily double park while discharging or receiving passengers (subject to DISPUTE!)
  • “Expeditiously” means 30 minutes or less
  • A commercial vehicle may double park in Midtown before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m., and all day Sunday
• Driveways_you cannot park in front of a public or private driveway unless you own or lease the lot accessed by the private driveway. But, if the lot has more than two dwelling unit, fuggedaboutit; and you cannot violate any other parking rule covering the parking space. Whew…that’s a mouthful.There’s a little more, and it’s good news, finally:
  • You can park in front of a driveway if:
    • The presence of a building or other fixed obstruction renders the driveway unusable as a driveway
• Parks-You cannot stand or park in a park between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise, except at places designated or maintained for the parking of vehicles
• Bus lane-You cannot stand or park in any lane designated for the exclusive use of buses
• Railroad crossings-You cannot stand or park within fifty feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. [Ed’s note: That’s o.k., I’m afraid of getting too close to train t rakes anyway]
• Safety zones-You cannot stand or park in a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within thirty feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone
• Pedestrian ramps-You cannot stand or park alongside or in a manner which obstructs a curb area which has been cut down, lowered or otherwise constructed or altered to give access for persons with disabilities unless the ramp is in the middle of the long street of a “T” intersection; and,
  • There are no cross-walk lines emanating from the ramp, and,
  • There are no traffic signs or devices at the site of the ramp, controlling the flow of traffic

These gotchas are now visible to all members of the driving public

The best way to beat an NYC parking ticket is not to get one. Knowledge of the parking rules and parking law will go along way to prevent the sting of a scanner.

Safe driving and pain-free parking to all.

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