Last Updated on July 20, 2022 by Lawrence Berezin
Very fixable parking mistakes
There may be 99 different parking violations in Gotham City. But, you can make more than a bazillion parking mistakes searching for a legal parking space. So, grip your steering wheel with both hands, hold onto your hat, and let’s find and fix three of these costly parking blunders.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
My chariot was only slightly in the restricted zone
- “I got a parking ticket when I parked my car just an itsy, bitsy, tiny, weenie in the no-standing zone.”
- Or, how about, “I parked 14 feet from the fire hydrant?” Yikes!
- Similarly, “the tip of my front bumper insignificantly extended into the crosswalk.”
Sadly, I got a million of them, and these admissions against interest never worked. Ca-ching.
Please remember, in Parking Ticket Land, even a little bit is too big a bit. Above all, this excuse is so prevalent that the Evil Empire posted a warning on their website.
Where a car is “straddling” the pole containing a sign with a one directional arrow, that car will be deemed to be in the restricted zone of that sign if any part of the car in the restricted zone creates the violation.
This parking mistake #1 is easy to fix.
In Parking Ticket Land, a tie goes to the Evil Empire. So, if your car won’t fit, you must search for another parking space.
NYC parking mistake of ignoring the new parking meter rules
Whether to transfer your paid-for parking time or not to transfer is a costly question. Should you suffer the expense of disobeying the new parking meter laws by transferring parking time from one blockface to another?
Or, obey the new law, save your money, and only transfer the time you paid from one meter to another meter in the same blockface?
This parking mistake #2 is easy to fix.
I advise obeying the new law that prohibits the transfer of paid time to a parking meter in another blockface and saving your hard-earned dough. You can only transfer paid parking time to another meter in the same blockface.
Blockface. The term “blockface” means that portion of the street along the curb on one side of a street that is between the boundaries of the corner area at either end of the block.
NYC parking mistake number three
Never pay a parking ticket, “no questions asked.” Believe me. This mistake is simple to fix. That is to say, look at the front of the parking ticket and check for omitted, misdescribed, or illegible (handwritten tickets) required elements. If you find one of those golden erasers, fight the ticket. Most importantly, if you presented the proper proof properly, a judge will dismiss your ticket.
Here’s a short story about our friend, Joe. Joe parked his car just an itsy, bitsy, tiny, weenie bit into a no-standing zone. Boy was Joe mad. He spent the next 10 minutes cursing to himself, crumbled up the evil ticket, and tossed it into the back seat. Later, when he returned home, Joe immediately paid for the ticket online. $115. Yikes!
Now, if Joe had taken a few minutes to check the accuracy of the place of occurrence entered on the ticket, he would have discovered that the warrior misdescribed the metes and bounds location. The no-standing sign and Joe’s parking space were on the North Side of the street and not the East Side. There wasn’t even an East Side of the road where Joe parked.
This parking mistake #3 is easy to fix
Don’t be like Joe and let your anger cost you an unjust parking fine. Likewise, don’t believe the misinformation and unfounded parking ticket conspiracy theories that circulate in Parking Ticket Land.
“Knowledge is power.”
So, do your homework to figure out a winning defense for your specific violation. For example, a driver can stop temporarily to drop off or pick up a passenger waiting at the curb in a no-standing zone, as long as they leave the restricted area immediately. I would:
Explain why I stopped_Secure a certified statement from the passenger (in their own handwriting).
But, never, ever pay a parking ticket “no questions asked.”
Commentary
Have you ever?
Here are some more common parking mistakes that are easy to fix.
- Parked your car closest to a fire hydrant?
Without walking off or measuring the distance to the fire hydrant to make sure you parked more than 15 feet away.? - Parked at a bus stop?
Waiting for Aunt Tillie’s bus to arrive so she’ll see you the minute she steps off the bus? - DIdn’t check the day/hours of the parking rule that regulated your parking space?
To make sure it was entered correctly? Remember 8 am – 9:30 am is not 8:30 am to 10 am. Misdescribed time will win you a dismissal! - Read the sidewalk rule before paying the sidewalk parking ticket?
You win if you parked your car on a portion of a paved or unpaved sidewalk that was within your property line. Or, you parked on a portion of the sidewalk that you can prove was not intended for use by the walking public.
There is always a “good” reason why a driver makes a mistake and gets a parking ticket. For example, Joe double-parked in front of Starbucks and ran in to grab a cup of coffee. Sadly, he found a double parking ticket under his wiper when he returned to his car. Was Joe’s parking mistake worth the risk of a $115 ticket?
Another example was when Jane dropped off her Aunt Tillie in a no-standing zone and waited for her favorite 92-year-old Aunt to cross the street safely. “Good reason.” But, was it worth a $115 no-standing ticket because she stopped, dropped, and waited instead of leaving the area immediately?
We have miles to go before we learn all the parking rules and apply them correctly every time. But, parking mistakes are usually simple to fix (although these nasty, costly parking tickets may still be maddening).
Please don’t make the same mistake twice.
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