5 Essential Parking Ticket Tips for the NYC Driving Public

Last Updated on October 22, 2017 by Lawrence Berezin

5 Essential parking ticket tips for the NYC driving public

I am a peruser. I peruse the Internet, newspapers, NYC agency websites, and just about anything that is perusable to offer parking ticket tips to the NYC driving public. The joy of perusing is sharing the stuff I stumbled upon during my perusing. So, here it goes.

The official website of the City of New York

Here’s a paragraph I found about Bus Lane Camera Violation Information:

“The City’s Bus Lane Camera Program films vehicles that drive, park, or stand in bus lanes. Signs are posted where bus lane cameras are in use to warn drivers to keep out of bus lanes except when making right turns or picking up or dropping off passengers. If your vehicle is filmed driving, parking, or standing in a bus lane, you will be sent a Notice of Liability (NOL) about 30 days after the violation. If you want to fight it, you must do so within 30 days of the NOL’s date or face possible penalties.”

I love that the driving public is provided with some helpful information about the proper use of bus lanes, and the consequences of crossing swords with the Evil Empire. We are permitted to:

• Enter a bus lane and make the first available right hand turn
• Stop temporarily to drop off or pick up a passenger, and skedaddle

The tithe for disobedience is $115.

Here is a free download (no email address required) of the official bus lane brochure for a more in-depth look at the do’s and don’t’s of bus lanes in NYC.

NYC Highway and Traffic Rules, Section 4-08 (Parking, Stopping, Standing)

I spend a good deal of time reading the rules. I’ve often said that learning is relentless repetition, and I spot something new to share every time I read ’em. These six rules are right in the beginning of the parking, stopping, and standing section of the highway and traffic rules.

We’ve rued the rule that empowers the Evil Empire to place one lonely parking sign and regulate the parking on an entire city block…Read (a)(1)(i) and weep.

If you’ve ever wondered where “stop, drop/pick up and go” came from, check out the definition of standing and parking. You can see that the “stop, drop, and go” exception is incorporated in the definition of standing and parking. You are not considered standing or parking while you’re actively engaged in expeditiously dropping off or picking up a passenger. Go figure!

Take a moment to peruse these rules and see what you pick out.

(a) General provisions.

(1) Compliance with rules. No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, whether attended or unattended, other than in accordance with authorized signs, pavement markings, or other traffic control devices, unless necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law or direction of any law enforcement officer or other person authorized to enforce these rules.
(i) Sign placement. For purposes of this §4-08, one authorized regulatory sign anywhere on a block, which is the area of sidewalk between one intersection and the next, shall be sufficient notice of the restriction(s) in effect on that block.
(2) Stopping prohibited. When stopping is prohibited by signs or rules, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, whether attended or unattended.
(3) Standing prohibited. When standing is prohibited by signs or rules, no person shall stop a vehicle, attended or unattended, except temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in expeditiously receiving or discharging passengers.
(4) Parking prohibited. When parking is prohibited by signs or rules, no person shall stop a vehicle, attended or unattended, except temporarily for the purpose of and while expeditiously receiving or discharging passengers or loading or unloading property to or from the curb.
(5) Vehicles prohibited on berms and shoulders. Stopping, parking or operating a motor vehicle is prohibited on the berm or shoulder adjacent to a parkway or a highway as specified in §4-07(i) of these rules, except for emergency purposes.
(6) Paper or other temporary signs. Any paper or other temporary signs posted by authorized law enforcement agencies shall supersede all existing posted rules for the days and times specified. Regulations placed inside parking meters by the Department of Transportation so as to cover rate plates and the inside of the dome of the meter shall supersede all existing posted rules for the time the insert remains in the parking meter.

Are NYC muni-meters already re-programmed not to take your money on Sundays?

As previously reported in Larry’s Blog (sounds almost “journalistic”) the NYC Council passed a law to shut down muni-meters when there was a parking holiday, or when the little robots cannot print a receipt. This re-programming process was going to take about two years.

However, I understand that all muni-meters have been re-programmed to take Sunday off. Can anyone of our wonderful driving community enlighten me on this? Are all muni-meters shut down on Sundays?

Jaywalking tickets are in the news in 2014

Here’s a link to an informative article published in The Gothamist entitled, “Jaywalking Tickets on the Rise in 2014.” This seems to be a dispute about whether jaywalking is in the crosshairs of the police…

The mayor said as much on Monday:

There is no larger policy in terms of jaywalking and ticketing, that is not part of our plan. We need to be sensitive to the fact that we do have a way of life and any of us who’ve been here know that but we have to educate people to the dangers.

So why have jaywalking tickets skyrocketed in the first three weeks of 2014?

As we pointed out earlier this week, there seems to be a miscommunication between the mayor and his police commissioner. At the Vision Zero press conference, Bratton cited dubious statistics about “pedestrian error” and indicated that enforcement (along with education) would be part of his mandate. The mayor took to the podium immediately afterward to tamp down those comments and assure the reporters and advocates there that the emphasis would be on issuing information, not summonses.

On West 96th Street and Broadway this weekend, where three pedestrians have been killed by vehicles this year, the NYPD issued twice as many tickets to jaywalking than to drivers.

Be careful and cross the street safely!

Commentary

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