NYC parking violation question!

[s2tplotkin]

I have Maryland plates. I got a parking ticket in Manhattan for being too close to the fire hydrant...

What is suggested? I didn't know the exact law (I know that isn't an excuse)...I was about 8 feet away from the hydrant, I took a photo of that. The person who issued my ticket wrote I was 5 feet away, which I definitely and clearly was not. Further, the ticket was issued by the Park police (from Battery Park, i imagine) and not by the NYC police (I don't know if that makes a difference)..

other things include: The color of the car is noted incorrectly as gold. Some other information is also missing from the ticket that other websites claim would make it easily dismissed.

Also, the car behind the hydrant was not the 15 feet away from it that you have to be (I found out later by looking into the NYC legal code online), but it had NY plates. I have photos of other cars in NYC that are practically blocking the hydrant without plates.

I know the common practice of issuing tickets to out-of-staters because they are less likely to come back for the hearding...either way...i was wondering how to get out of it...and if its possible to claim discrimination based on state plates...

I was the driver, I have one other passenger (my husband) and two witnesses (my children) who are people I know but did not actually drive with me, they met me in NYC.

Can anyone help me out? A $115 fine wasn't really on the agenda.

Thanks!

 

[Smiles]

What does the law say in NY? Do you have to be 15' feet from the hydrant? You can't plead ignorance; the fact that no one else was ticketed is unfair, but not grounds for anything unless you're planning some kind of class-action for out-of-state illegal parkers.

If you think you have another basis for fighting the ticket (you indicate some other websites), do so. I'm curious about them and it's unfortunate you didn't mention them here.

 

[racer72]

Can anyone help me out? A $115 fine wasn't really on the agenda.

Other than a series of poor excuses, you provide no evidence that the ticket is improper or not warranted. I would suggest paying the ticket.

 

[s2tplotkin]

no offense...

but you really didn't read what i wrote. I'm not trying to plead ignorance, but i just put it out there what i wrote...

Here's the site i looked at before:

http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/survive/008park.htm

either way, i'd like positive responses, not "you deserve what you got"...

 

[kNOwtheLAW]

[..] either way, i'd like positive responses, not "you deserve what you got"...

OP - How's this for positive. . .

Fact: You parked within 8 feet of a fire hydrant.

Fact: You have photos to show the judge to prove it!

Fact: You received a $115 parking ticket.

Fact: You have two choices -- pay or fight it!

Fact: It's your right to fight it!

Fact: Anything can happen in front of the judge.

Fact: The judge may look at your pictures.

Fact: The judge probably won't give the Maryland plate discrimination defense much credence.

Fact: You may get the ticket reduced.

Fact: Who knows, you may even win!

And this is the only negative

Fact: You may lose. . . No one in this forum can say. That's the value of taking it before a judge. The judge has the power to determine your case. Sometimes, when you just tell the judge you're sorry and will never do it again works better than a razzel dazzel defense.

This is a great photo of a BMW that parked in front of a fire hydrant in NYC, and another photo of a BMW driver who figured out how to avoid stopping for fuel.

KTL

 

[Smiles]

but you really didn't read what i wrote. I'm not trying to plead ignorance, but i just put it out there what i wrote...

Here's the site i looked at before:

http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/survive/008park.htm

either way, i'd like positive responses, not "you deserve what you got"...

Well, I didn't say you deserved what you got, only that you didn't indicate anything that would hint at how you could truly contest it. You said you weren't aware of the law (and as I said, pleading ignorance isn't an option). What is the law? Do you have a cite? (You said you found the law online.) What information is missing from your ticket? I read your link, but it didn't give much basis on why the ticket would be thrown out if the information is missing. For example, I doubt that the ticket would be dismissed if all the information was accurate except that the color was listed as "gold", unless the car is, say, blue. If multiple items are missing or inaccurate, that would certainly help.

In the end, you'll have to decide if it's worth your time to fight the ticket. $115 isn't cheap, but if you're traveling back from Maryland to fight it, start adding up the travel costs, etc. and weigh it against the odds of winning. It's not a moving violation so it's not going to change your insurance rates or anything, and it shouldn't affect much of anything else, either.

 

[You Are Guilty]

Click that cute little "search" button up top and type in "NYC parking ticket". I have personally answered this question several times, even down to the issue of "wrong color". The answers are out there

 

[kNOwtheLAW]

NYC Finance Dept. website suggests ways to plan your parking ticket defense: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/park_tickets_common.shtml

Your Rights When Disputing [a NYC] Parking Ticket: http://www.nysscpa.org/prof_library/city2000/deptfinancepubs/pvo_itslaw_00.pdf

KTL