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.
Lawrence Berezin
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NYC parking tickets for these violations generate major money for our fair city. Have you fallen prey to the costly orange plague?
This E-book will help you avoid or fight these parking tickets.
I tried to cargue a parking ticket with supporting pictures that showed several things:
1. I was parked 82,5 ft before the bus stop sign
2. There were orange construction barriers (3) on the street between the bus stop and the spot where I had parked.
3. There was a sidewalk flower bed surrounded by a metal fence (1ft high) next to my car.
Regardless of these arguments the city official refusal indicated the following:
Respondent submitted a
statement that, in effect, did not interfere with the bus and submits 6 photos of the area but does not specifically indicate where the vehicle was parked. Also, NYC law provides that a bus stop runs from the sign to an intervening regulation or the end of a block.
Agency records indicate that the location indicated on the summons was a bus stop. Summons sustained.
Do you see any merit in challenging the city decision??
Hi, Felipe,
Sorry about the loss.
I really can’t give you an intelligent reply without reviewing the photographs and your defense statement.
But, here’s what I can say:
-The evil judge stated the law correctly.
-The length of a bus stop has nothing to do with how far away from the bus stop sign you parked.
-A bus stop zone extends from the bus stop sign in the direction of the arrow(s) until the next parking sign or the end of the block
-3 construction barriers don’t mean a bus stop ended, nor does a flower bed and metal fence
The quick answer will be found by inserting the place of occurrence in the DOT Parking Regulation Map. You’ll see the location of any intervening parking sign or the end of the block.
DOT Parking Regulations map
It sounds to me like you fought the good fight, prepared great exhibits, but may not have understood how you determine the length of a bus stop in Parking Ticket Land.
Good luck, Felipe.
Regards,
Larry
Hey, if I just got a ticket for parking in a bus zone but the officer wrote the wrong address and the wrong time can I contest it? For reference, upon doing some research I now realize that I was in a bus zone- who knew you couldn’t park all the way at the end of the block?! But the address they listed is 100% incorrect (and not in a bus zone, ironically).
Hi, Ashley,
Who knew? Kudos for doing the research to learn!
If the Place of Occurrence was not in the bus stop zone, you win. The tricky part is presenting the proper proof properly.
what proof are you going to offer?
Regards,
Larry