Who Else Wants These NYC Parking Ticket Laws to Pass?

Last Updated on May 28, 2015 by Lawrence Berezin

Will these NYC parking ticket laws ever see the light of day?

There are many members of the NY City Council who support the driving public by introducing quality of life NYC parking ticket legislation. Some of the bills, such as the:

• “5-minute grace period” laws
• “DOT parking regulation map “
•  The dismissal of parking tickets issued within 5-days of the installation of a parking sign

among others.

But what about the NYC parking ticket laws that are introduced and never see the light of day? Kudos for the thought, but where is the support?

Here are three such laws that I’m hoping will pass. How about you?

1.  Parking at Missing or Broken Muni Meters

You park your chariot, walk to the muni meter, and it’s broken. What do you do next? Do you celebrate, head back to your car, and put a “broken muni meter note” on the dashboard? Or, do you skedaddle? A broken muni-meter poses a real parking conundrum.

Currently, you are required to pay a visit to each and every muni meter in the entire parking zone (both sides of the street in the city block). If any of the meters is working, purchase the time, lug the receipt back to your car, and place it on the dash. You must report all broken muni-meters to 311 and secure proof that they’re all broken…C’mon man. It’s easier to guard LaBron James.

The new law-in-waiting would facilitate parking safely at a broken or missing meter.

By Council Members Greenfield, Cumbo, Eugene, Gentile, Koo, Lancman, Richards, Rose, Wills and Deutsch

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to allowing parking at missing or broken muni-meters up to the maximum time permitted in that parking meter zone.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

      Section 1.  Subdivision b of section 19-167.1 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to read as follows:

      b. If fifty percent or more of all muni-meters in a parking field or on one side of the street of a block are missing or broken, a person shall be allowed to park in such parking field or on such block up to the maximum amount of time otherwise lawfully permitted by such muni-meters in such controlled parking field or block or segment thereof.  For the purposes of this subdivision, “muni-meter” shall mean an electronic parking meter that dispenses timed receipts that must be displayed in a conspicuous place on a vehicle’s dashboard.

      § 2. This local law shall take effect immediately upon enactment into law.

For example, if there are 2 muni-meters on the block, only one needs to be broken or missing to park safely.

2.  The distance between parking signs

This bill-in-waiting mandates the installation of a parking sign every 100 feet or less on every block longer than 200 feet. This law would give my old, arthritic knees some much-needed relief from this longstanding  rule:

One authorized regulatory sign anywhere on a block, which is the area of sidewalk between one intersection and the next, shall be sufficient notice of the restriction(s) in effect on that block.”

The laws states:

By Council Members Cohen, Lancman, Rose, Deutsch, Cornegy, King, Vallone, Constantinides, Levine, Wills, Palma, Ferreras, Vacca and Ignizio

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the distance between parking signs.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

      Section 1.  Subchapter 2 of chapter 1 of title 19 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to add a new section 19-175.5 to read as follows:

      § 19-175.5 Distance between parking signs. On every block longer than two hundred feet, the department shall post a sign indicating parking, standing or stopping regulations every one hundred feet or less.  For purposes of this section, “block” shall mean a stretch of roadway that connects two intersections.

      §2. This local law shall take effect ninety days after its enactment into law.

3.  Temporary tow-away zones

I can’t tell you how many calls and comments I get relating a story about a car being towed from a temporary construction zone and moved to an illegal parking space.

This wonderful law would give us 24-hours notice of a temporary tow-away zone. Here’s what it provides:

Commentary

Are you smarter than a parking ticket warrior?