Alert: An NYC Muni-Meter Parking Ticket Ambush Story

Last Updated on October 12, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin

A muni-meter parking ticket ambush

How can a muni-meter that will not accept your money be iniquitous (wicked, immoral, or evil)? Why is it an ambush? How can you get a muni-meter parking ticket?

First, let’s take a look at a Brooklyn 3-headed gotcha pole, and then I’ll tell you Sarah’s story.

The little yellow sign

The “above times”refer to street cleaning hours (Monday, 11A-12:30P) on the street cleaning sign above the little yellow sign. Ergo, the muni-meter will not accept your money during the hours that street cleaning is in effect.

Parking is permitted for two hours between 9A-7P Except for Sunday.

Here’s a similar little yellow sign that showed up in Queens

Sarah’s story

Sarah parked her car in a 2-hour meter parking zone at 11:30A on a day when street cleaning rules were suspended for an NYC legal holiday. She noticed a little yellow sign on a 3-headed gotcha pole that displayed the words, “Meters are not in effect during above times.”

Sarah’s attempts to pay for 2-hour parking were rejected by the muni-meter. The re-programmed machine would not take Sarah’s money because meters were not in effect at 11:30A during normal street cleaning hours. It appears that no one told the muni-meter to issue receipts when street cleaning hours were suspended…Yikes!

There was not a muni-meter across the street because the opposite side of the street was a no standing anytime zone…Double yikes. So, how did Sarah pay for parking?

Well, Sarah didn’t pay for parking because she thought it was legal to park because the muni-meter wasn’t working…Needless to say, poor Sarah got a parking ticket. She was nabbed by the new muni-meter parking ticket ambush.

What would you have done? Would you have:

• Parked in the space and assumed it was legal because the muni-meter was broken?
• Parked in the space and assumed it was legal because the muni-meter wasn’t working?
• Searched for a working muni-meter on another block to pay for parking?
• Vacated the parking space immediately?

Commentary

A muni-meter that is programmed not to take your money during street cleaning hours appears to be a good thing. However, there are certain situations where “free” may be very costly.  For example, Sarah received a parking ticket and her chariot was booted and towed.

Here’s my take:

• The little yellow sign does not mean a muni-meter is BROKEN.  It is simply programmed not to take your money during street cleaning hours
• However, when street cleaning is suspended and the re-programmed muni-meter will still not take your money, search for a working muni-meter across the street
• If there isn’t a working muni-meter across the street, your options are to search for a working muni-meter on the next block; Or, vacate the space

I would skedaddle and not try to find a working muni-meter and have a parking ticket waiting for me when I return to my car (your hike will probably take more than 5-minutes, right?!). Under no circumstances, park without paying the muni-meter and displaying the paid receipt on your dash.

Have these 3 Parking Ticket mistakes cost you money? 

[Larry’s comment: There is a way to park for free, but it ain’t worth your valuable time and energy…So, I’m not going to even tell ya!).