Last Updated on August 15, 2021 by Lawrence Berezin
Try to dispute NYC parking tickets without making these harmful errors
Everyone has a cliche to share about “mistakes.” That is to say, many people applaud the “mistake-maker” for trying. Others celebrate the “mistake-maker” for learning from their mistakes. For example:
- “You make mistakes. You try to learn from them, and when you don’t, it hurts even more.” Aretha Franklin
- “We all make them. The difference is what we do after we make a mistake, how we see the mistake – a learning experience or a failure.” Catherine Pulsifer
- “The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.” Henry Ford
However, mistakes come with an expensive price tag in Parking Ticket Land. They are rewarded with a guilty verdict and a $115 fine. Nothing cliche about that.
Above all, It is far better to do your homework before you get a ticket. Read the rules, understand the basic dos and don’ts, and never pay NYC parking tickets, “no questions asked!”
Here is a list of common NYC parking tickets mistakes and misconceptions to avoid
The Office of the Parking Summons Advocate penned the following (Sound familiar?)
Ignorance of the Law
The fact that you:
- Did not know the law is not a defense to a parking ticket
- Been parking there for years without ever being ticketed is not a defense.
- Were the only one ticketed, even though others were parked similarly, is not a defense.
Sign Violations
The fact that you:
- Did not see a posted sign would not be a defense—unless the sign was illegible
- Did not see a posted sign on the block because it was too far away is not a defense.
- Misunderstood the sign is not a defense.
- Only a small part of your car was in the prohibited zone is not a defense.
- Were sitting behind the wheel with the car running and waiting for a friend in the NO STANDING or NO PARKING or NO STOPPING zone is not a defense.
Double Parking
The fact that you:
- Double-parked for only a brief period is not a defense.
- Couldn’t find parking during street cleaning times is not a defense.
- The street cleaning truck never came to clean the streets that day is not a defense.
Crosswalks
The fact that you:
- Were not blocking the pedestrian ramp portion of the crosswalk is not a defense.
- Only a small part of your car was on the crosswalk line is not a defense. No part of your vehicle can be on any part of the crosswalk lines.
Larry’s list of common mistakes:
- Only vehicles with passenger plates are permitted to park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, as long as a driver remains seated behind the wheel, with the keys, ready to move on request, from sun up to sundown
- A bus stop zone starts at the bus stop sign and extends in the direction of the arrow to the next parking sign or if none, the end of the block. The length of a bus stop zone has nothing to do with the length of a bus and varies from block to block
- No standing and no parking both mean halting your car, even if you remain seated behind the wheel. The difference is that in a no standing zone, you can stop temporarily to drop off or pick up people and property. You are permitted to stop briefly to drop off or pick up people and property. You cannot leave a car unattended in a no-standing or no parking zone, even for a NY minute
- If you want to park at a broken muni-meter, you got to try to purchase the parking fee at the other muni-meters on the block, and they too must be broken (and you have to prove the other meters -were broken. Yikes!)
- There must only be one parking sign on an entire block. And, it can be at the opposite end of the block, as long as the arrow(s) pointed to your parking space
Commentary
-Has anyone had experience with the Office of the Parking Summons Advocate? Please share them, good or bad.
-Here’s a helpful guide to paying or disputing traffic violations prepared by the Office of the Parking Summons Advocate.
-If I regularly drove in NYC, I would read the NYC Traffic Rules to gain an understanding of the rules of the curbs.
-Knowledge is power, and taking the time out of our busy lives to acquire some knowledge about NYC curbside rules and regulations will be very helpful.
Hi,
I received a parking ticket in NJ for parking in residential area where there was a no parking sign board without any arrow few metres away from my parking spot. I was a tourist and could not understand the board since there was no arrow. Can I fight this ticket?
Thanks