Larry Comments on a Parking Ticket Report by CBS News

Parking ticket report raises some important questions

Here are portions of an excellent report published by CBS News about the use of technology to ease fighting NYC parking tickets.

1.  CBS 2’s Tony Aiello reported high-tech tools allow the city to write more and more tickets. But they also make fighting a ticket you think is unfair a little easier 

I agree. I fight all our parking tickets online.

2.  Like so much of life, the process of fighting a parking ticket has moved online

-Fighting an NYC parking ticket online is an acquired skill. It takes practice and a process. For example, after entering your name, address and email address, you’ll find a little square to enter your defense statement. I recommend writing your statement in Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Evernote, Apple Notes, etc., and copy and paste it into the little square. It is much easier to revise your defense in a third-party editor.

-The warrior signs the parking ticket. Have you ever noticed that above the warrior’s signature is the warrior’s affirmation? If you simply submit a defense statement,  the warrior’s sworn testimony will automatically be entitled to greater weight than your unsworn testimony. I suggest the following:

3.  Everything will be reviewed by an administrative law judge sworn to be impartial

“Take as many pictures – overkill is better than under kill,” said Administrative Law Judge Frank Reyes. “Submit as many items as you think is necessary.

-Be wary of a judge bearing tips. I agree that more may be better than less, but that depends on the quality of your evidence. For example, many people take photographs and submit ’em. Easy, right? But, do your photographs prove your defense?

For example, how do you prove a defense that the rule you were charged with did not regulate the place of occurrence entered on the ticket?

-One way is to take overlapping photographs of the entire block, starting with the street sign at the corner, and including the front and back of each parking sign and the number of the building to shown the parking sign(s) that regulated the place of occurrence (recommended by the Evil Empire). Yikes! That is exhausting, especially if it is a long block

-I prefer to create a series of exhibits using Google Maps, the DOT Parking Regulations Map, the NYC Map, and live photographs. Here’s a sample:

-Prepare exhibits and include descriptions (captions) on each exhibit. Exhibits with captions are more persuasive than empty photographs. Your exhibits should tell a story that supports your defense.

-There is a limit to the size of your exhibits/photographs. Your evidence files cannot total more than 5 mb. I have found 5 mb to be perfectly adequate in most cases. However, when it’s not, there is a gaggle of free apps that will compress the size of your files.

4. But more than anything the move online is about convenience

“People’s time is precious to them, and we have to make it as easy as possible for them,” she said. I disagree. It’s about justice. The question to ask is, can you get a fair hearing online?

The answer is a resounding, yes. And, you’ll  get a decision in about 10 days.

Online hearings weren’t always fair. You history buffs may wish to check out some blog posts I wrote on the subject of online hearings.

2009: “Fight your NYC parking ticket online at your own risk”

2011: “You can now submit evidence when you fight your ticket online”

2011:  “Larry’s review of the updated online hearing”

2011: “How to fight your NYC parking ticket online”

2014: “Important news about fighting an NYC parking ticket online”

Commentary

Parking ticket online hearings offer speedy justice. But, you gotta plan your defense, not just upload a few photographs and an unsworn statement.

Park safely.