Last Updated on September 23, 2021 by Lawrence Berezin
What’s all this fuss about Re-designed NYC Parking Signs?
A few years ago, the Evil Empire embarked on an improbable mission to make NYC parking signs understandable. “Be still my beating heart!” As expected, the NYC driving public was skeptical whether the parking signs would be legible and unambiguous.
Fast forward to the present. We had a chance to read them and weep or jump for joy. Are you a jumper or a weeper?
This post is for all of us weepers. Hopefully, you will come away with a better understanding of what three of the re-designed NYC parking signs mean.
Commercial Meter NYC parking sign
Which sign do you understand?
Here’s the rule, 4:08 (l)(3)(ii)
(l) Blue zone, midtown, and other special zones
(3) Special midtown rule: standing time limit.
(i) Between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm, daily except Sundays, from 14th to 60th Streets, 1st to 8th Avenues, all-inclusive, in the Borough of Manhattan, no operator shall stand a vehicle or combination of vehicles for the purpose of making pickups, deliveries or service calls in any one block of streets herein designated for a period of more than three hours unless otherwise posted. A vehicle or combination of vehicles not being used for expeditious pickups, deliveries or service calls is deemed to constitute a parked vehicle subject to parking rules applicable to that particular location. Section 4-08 31
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”hide-icon”]
(ii) Commercial parking meter area. Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, where signs are posted regulating the use of the curb by commercial vehicles it shall be unlawful to stand a vehicle in any space on a block unless such vehicle is a “commercial vehicle” as defined in §4-01(b)(i) of this chapter or a vehicle with a valid “combination” registration from another state, and unless such space is controlled by a parking meter. The maximum time for such metered parking on a single block shall be a total of three hours unless otherwise indicated by a posted sign. The provisions of subdivision (h) of this section shall apply to commercial vehicles parked at a parking meter pursuant to this paragraph.
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The meaning of the rule
-Only motor vehicles with commercial plates can park Monday-Friday, between 10 am and 2 pm, for 3 hours total on a single block
-All other plates can park Monday-Friday before 10 am and after 2 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, all plates can park all hours (commercial plates are always limited to three consecutive hours in one parking space)
[Larry’s comment: We are referring to the commercial meter sign. Pretend the other signs attached to the Gotcha Pole don’t exist. Wouldn’t parking be a breeze without ’em?].
Defense
One indispensable element on this re-designed NYC parking sign was the addition of the words, “OTHERS NO STANDING.” Those three little words are crucial to making the re-designed commercial meter signs understandable.
I started getting parking tickets from clients who parked in spaces that were regulated by Commercial Meter signs, except, the signs omitted, “OTHERS NO STANDING.”
I argued that without those three little words, the commercial meter signs were not understandable. The parking ticket judges agreed with me and dismissed the tickets. I won with that defense consistently.
Sadly, parking ticket judges have found my three clients guilty when I raised this defense (coincidence or new policy mandate?). These guilty finds are absolutely wrong, without changing the language on the sign or amending the rule. Unfair? Of course. Surprising? Nope. But, I’m going to continue to fight this injustice and appeal the bad decisions.
Here’s a portion of my argument on appeal in one of my cases:
“The original judge agreed with my certified testimony that the language on the Commercial Vehicles Only sign omitted the language, “Others No Standing,” but concluded it didnʼt matter because a sign without this language was not confusing.
Yet, NYC spent millions of dollars, an enormous amount of time, and the DOT supervised a herculean effort to replace all the old parking signs with redesigned signs to make parking signs understandable. The DOT approved the language that was supposed to be displayed on the re-designed commercial meter signs. Under these circumstances, why would the DOT install a parking sign that omitted the approved language? Or, worse, allow an old version of the commercial meter sign to remain? Or worse yet, allow judges to opine that the new language on the re-designed commercial meter signs, “OTHERS NO STANDING,” really doesn’t matter. And, the absence of these three little words is no biggie.”
Truck Loading Only NYC parking sign
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”hide-icon”]New Sign and then the old sign[/alert]
Here’s the rule, 4-08(k)(2)
“(k) Special rules for commercial vehicles.
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”hide-icon”](2) No standing except trucks loading and unloading. Where a posted sign reads “No Standing Except Trucks Loading and Unloading” or “Truck Loading Only”, no vehicle except a commercial vehicle or a service vehicle as defined in §4-01(b) of these rules, may stand or park in that area, for the purpose of expeditiously making pickups, deliveries or service calls, and except that in the area from 35th St. to 41st St., Avenue of the Americas to 8th Avenue, inclusive, in the Borough of Manhattan, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., no vehicle except a truck as defined in §4-13(a)(1) of these rules may stand or park for the purpose of expeditiously making pickups, deliveries, or service calls.”[/alert]
The meaning of the rule:
Standing is limited to commercial or service vehicles in parking spaces regulated by this sign. No passenger vehicles are allowed.
When there are no specific days/hours displayed on the sign, it means the rule is in effect all days and all hours.
[alert type=”warning” icon-size=”normal”][Larry’s comment: When this sign made its big reveal, I checked out the language in the rule (see above) and compared it to the words on the sign. According to the rule, the words on the sign had to say “No Standing Except Trucks Loading and Unloading” to restrict parking to commercial vehicles only. So, I fought a Truck Loading Ticket for a client and argued that the sign didn’t effectively restrict parking to commercial vehicles only. Guess what, I won and for the next year kept on winning with the same defense.[/alert]
Sadly, last year the Evil Empire added the words, “Truck Loading Only” to the rule, thereby eliminating my defense. But, the Evil Empire did it the right way by recognizing their mistake and amending the rule instead of letting or ordering the judges to play games (as with the Commercial Meter Sign).
That is why you should always check the wording in the applicable rule to make sure the language displayed on the sign followed the mandates of the rule.
Authorized Vehicles Only NYC parking sign
New Sign
Old Sign
[alert type=”info” icon-size=”hide-icon”]New Sign and then the old sign[/alert]
Here’s the rule, 4-08(c)(4)
(c) Violation of posted no standing rules prohibited. When official signs, markings or traffic-control devices have been posted prohibiting, restricting or limiting the standing of vehicles, no person shall stand or park any vehicle in violation of the restrictions posted on such signs, markings or traffic-control devices, except as otherwise provided herein:
(4) Authorized vehicles. Except as provided in paragraph (8) of this subdivision, where a posted sign reads “No Standing Except Authorized Vehicles” or “Authorized Vehicles Only”, no vehicles, except those designated by such sign, may stand or park in that area.
The meaning of the rule:
Standing is restricted to motor vehicles from a designated agency. The designated agency’s name must be displayed on the sign (and entered on a parking ticket)
Commentary
I have never been one to adhere to conspiracy theories, but, it is not right or just to find NYC drivers guilty of violating the rules displayed on the NYC parking signs that omit the language mandated by the Evil Empire. The mission to re-design parking signs was shouted from the roof-tops and enjoyed widespread publicity in the media. Here’s a great article by the designers from Pentagram.
How can the Evil Empire allow the PVB judges to enter guilty verdicts when the indispensable three little words are missing?
Here is some of the publicity:
Good luck.
Park safely.
Learn the rules and how they’re displayed on the NYC re-designed parking signs.
Regards,
Larry
FREE Download
Larry’s Guide to NYC Parking Signs
You ought to download this guide if the redesigned parking signs are still confusing.
Hi Larry, This is Laura Gonzalez again. I wrote earlier about the ticket and violated feeling I had when my car was towed yesterday in a spot I felt confident was legal. It said no standing 7 am – 4 pm school days AND no parking Tuesday and Friday 8:30-10 am. Below I share with you a link to the photo of the sign I took so you may be able to help me understand why my car was towed when I was neither standing nor parked during the no parking times. While I await results from my dispute of the ticket, I am grateful any insight you may have. Thanks, Laura
Hi, Laura,
Good morning.
I read both of your comments.
Here’s the scoop:
-Standing and parking are the same things, stopping your car.
-The difference between standing and parking are the activities you can perform in each zone.
-For example, in a no standing zone, you can stop temporarily to expeditiously drop off or pick up a passenger and immediately leave the zone
-In a no parking zone, you can stop briefly to quickly drop off or pick up a passenger and things (groceries, luggage, etc.) and immediately leave the zone
Therefore, when you stopped your car on a Wednesday at noon in a no standing school day zone, and you were not actively engaged in loading or unloading people from the curb to your car, you violated the no standing school zone rule. Remember standing and parking are the same things, stopping your car UNLESS YOU ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN DROPPING OFF OR PICKING UP PEOPLE.
It seems like you based your defense on the claim that you were not standing or parked. Sadly, this was a mistake. You were standing and parking because your car was stopped and unoccupied in a parking space. Plus, you were not actively engaged in loading or unloading your car of people.
I hate sharing not great news. Was all the information on the front of the ticket entered correctly? Did the days say, “School Days?”
Regards
Larry