Last Updated on November 28, 2014 by Lawrence Berezin
How about giving a New York Parking Ticket crossword puzzle a try?
Are you a crossword puzzle fanatic like my wife? Or, never developed a fondness for ’em, like me?
Crossword puzzles are said to be the most popular and widespread word game in the world, yet have a short history. The first crosswords appeared in England during the 19th century. They were of an elementary kind, apparently derived from the word square, a group of words arranged so the letters read alike vertically and horizontally, and printed in children’s puzzle books and various periodicals. In the United States, however, the puzzle developed into a serious adult pastime.
[Via American Crossword Puzzle Tournament].
Did you know that…the creating of crosswords is called cruciverbalism among its practitioners, who are referred to as cruciverbalists, from the Latin for cross and word. Although the terms have existed since the mid-1970s, non-cruciverbalists rarely use them, calling crossword creators constructors or (especially outside the United States) setters or compilers.
[Via Wikipedia]
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New York Parking Ticket Crossword Puzzle
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Commentary
Here’s an extra hint for #1…You place it on the dashboard of your chariot.
Hi, Larry,
I parked 0 ft from a DEFUNCT Hydrant on the curb next to my driveway. The defunct hydrant was labeled and the cap removed, and simultaneously a new hydrant was installed several years ago about 40 ft down the block from defunct hydrant. The large roots of a mature tree had grown around the defunct hydrant.
I had parked for years in front of my driveway 0 ft from the defunct hydrant and had not gotten fine until now. Besides the regular fine stating I was parked 0 ft from the hydrant, the officer stated I was parked on 52nd St, whereas my defunct hydrant and driveway are on 51st ST, and the officer stated that my car was grey, whereas it is cypress green, and that I was parked about 150 feet from a cross street (actually it is about double the distance from the cross street).
I challenged the ticket by mail with photos of defunct hydrant and new hydrant, two of my tenant’s witness letters, and copy of my house deed.
The challenge was denied. Denial states that vehicle is prohibited within 15 ft even if hydrant is not operational. (My claim and statement is that hydrant is DEFUNCT/ELIMINATED but still visible, which is different from NOT OPERATIONAL.)
Further, my witness statements have been reviewed and found not to be persuasive evidence (I spoke to both witnesses, my tenants on separate floors, who both were home that day when I parked).
I want to establish my right to park there on the basis that the hydrant is officially DEFUNCT. I don’t just want to win THIS ticket, I want to win the right to park there on a regular basis since the hydrant is defunct and a new hydrant has been installed in its place about 40 feet down the block.
What is your advice?
Dear Michael,
Man, what a low down, dirty, shame.
You did a super job preparing your defense, and should have won a dismissal.
That being said…I agree with your analysis. You need something more than a parking ticket judge’s decision. If it were me, I’d contact my council person. If there’s no interest there, I would contact Council Person Ydanis Rodriguez. He’s the chair of the Transportation Committee and very sensitive to unjust parking rules.
The tipping point here is that the dead hydrant is in front of your home, and creating a real live, expensive, nuisance. Literally, taking your property without due process.
With the proper pressure from City Council people, your parking ticket can be handled with an administrative dismissal. Hopefully with a note that the hydrant is defunct, ergo, you can park in front of your home.
Keep me posted…PS…Keep in mind you have 30 days to appeal (from the date the decision was entered, not the date you received notice of the miscarriage of justice in the mail).
Best,
Larry