Standing in a fire lane?

[Tro0925]

What is the name of your state? New York

I was in a Stop n' Shop parking lot and I dropped off my fiancé to run in a pick up a prescription, which took less then five minutes. I parked next to the building which was a fire lane. I stayed in the car with my hazards on and the motor running for less then five minutes, which is the definition of "standing" not "parking". I was given a ticket for parking in a fire lane. I tried to look up fire lane parking, but I could not find anything. I found a motorist can be "standing" within 15 feet of a fire hydrant as long as there is a licensed driver in the vehicle to move it, in the event of an emergency. All other rules I found said, as long as traffic is not being blocked, which it was not. The sign that was posted said, "No Parking", but it did not say "No Parking and No Standing In Fire Lane". In fact, on the other side of the parking lot, there were signs that said, "No Parking and No Standing In Fire Lane", but these signs were not in the vicinity of the Stop n' Shop. My question is, was this ticket wrongly given, and would I have a case if I fought it or would I be wasting my time? Thanks

[seniorjudge]

Go to court and fight it.

I have no idea if you will win or lose.

[You Are Guilty]

Here's your problem:

Originally Posted by Tro0925

I stayed in the car with my hazards on and the motor running for less then five minutes, which is the definition of "standing" not "parking".

Actually, that's called parking. Standing is when you are stationary and passengers (and their packages) are actively getting in and out. Once they're gone, you're parked.

As far as the hydrant thing, it only applies to hydrants, not fire lanes. You may be able to contest it if the signage was improper, but they only need one, even if it's location was not near you.

If you search on this site, you'll find a list of all the possible errors on the ticket which qould require it to be dismissed. See if any apply to your ticket. If you decide to fight it anyway, contest it in person (not mail) to increase your chances. It also helps if you bring the Administrative Law Judge a bottle of wine and some chocolates.

[mamadator]

So where can I find the (legal) definitions for Parking, Standing, and Stopping for NY State?

Thanks

[mommyof4]

This *might* help you.

[url]http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/trafrule.pdf[/url]

page 18.

[Happy Trails]

This thread is also interesting: [url]http://forum.freeadvice.com/showthread.php?t=373911[/url]

[You Are Guilty]

Originally Posted by mommyof4

This *might* help you.

[url]http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/trafrule.pdf[/url]

page 18.

Good find, but that's for New York City. The NY State definitions can be found here: [url]http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi?COMMONQUERY=LAWS[/url]

Click VAT, Article 1, then sections 129, 145 and 147.