How to Avoid a Parking Ticket for Fire Hydrant and Bus Stop Violations

Why spend your hard-earned dough on an NYC parking ticket for a fire hydrant and bus stop violations?

Preventive medicine is the best cure for parking tickets. Here is your prescription. Read this post every 4 hours for the next two weeks, and call me in the morning if you still get a parking ticket

Fire hydrant violation

You are prohibited from parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant between sunset and sunrise; even if there is a licensed driver sitting behind the wheel of your vehicle, ready to move upon request

A passenger vehicle is the only type of vehicle permitted to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant between sunrise and sunset, as long as a licensed driver sitting behind the wheel of your vehicle, ready to move upon request
The fire hydrant rule covers broken fire hydrants, as well as fire hydrants in good working order
There are no yellow curb markings, or any other street markings to warn that you are within 15 feet of the fire hydrant
You will receive an NYC parking ticket for a fire hydrant violation, even if the fire hydrant is invisible.
You are NOT eligible for a fine reduction, in exchange for a guilty plea
Generally, you’ll find two concrete posts on both sides of a fire hydrant

Bus stop violation

A picture is worth 1000 words. Here are a few words:

A bus stop extends from the BUS STOP SIGN in the direction(s) of the little arrow under the little bus on the BUS STOP SIGN, until:

The next parking sign in the direction of the arrow; or the end of the block
If the arrow points in both directions, then the bus stop zone extends in BOTH directions until the next parking sign; or the end of the block

Please see the above screen capture. The bus stop zone extends in BOTH directions from the bus stop sign, until:

The next parking sign to the left of the bus stop circular; and
In the other direction, to the right, until the end of the block

There are no yellow curb markings to designate the length of a bus stop zone. As a matter of fact, there is positively no street, sidewalk or curb markings to give the driving public notice of the length of a bus stop zone!

Please do not estimate the length of an NYC bus (it’s 40-45 feet long, about), and argue that you parked far enough away from the bus stop sign for an NYC bus to fit. No one will listen!

Do not argue that you only stopped for a minute to run into a store to……You cannot stop temporarily to drop yourself off!

You can stop temporarily to expeditiously drop off or pick up a passenger. You cannot wait for “a few minutes” for your passenger to arrive.