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09-29-2007, 02:49 PM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 1
| | | Unjust parking ticket
What is the name of your state? NY
Today I got a parking ticket for expired meter when the meter wasn't expired:
I live in a small town in NY state. When I came in with my mother to our center-of-town parking lot around 10:20, I dropped a quarter and checked that the time on the meter was correctly set to 30 minutes. The guy who checked the meters was there, and my mother complained to him about the number of broken meters on this lot. We went to the bank. As the transaction took longer than expected, I went out some minutes later to check the time - there was still 12 minutes left. 10 munites later my mother went to checked, saw about 2 minutes left on the meter and dropped another quarter. She saw the parking inspecter going towards her but didn't pay attention. Neither of us looked at the windshield - why should we, we had paid. About 7 minutes later we left the bank and came to the car. The meter showed that there was still 25 minutes left. So when I saw the parking ticket on the windshield saying that the meter was expired I was flabbergasted - at no time was the meter expired. Moreover, the time on the ticket was 10:25, i.e. shortly after we put the first quarter in. We looked around, but couldn't see the inspector.
I am going to go to court, but it is really our case against that of the inspector. Either he didn't pay attention or was just angry at my mother for complaining about broken meters. There is no proof I can give other than my word and that of my mother. I didn't have a camera with me, but even if I had by the time I noticed the ticket it was past the time. Do you think we have a chance at court? The ticket is for $35, but even if it had been for $1, I'd still be mad.
Anybody has opinions? Similar experiences? It seems very wrong that these inspectors can write bogus tickets and have no way to prove it. |
09-29-2007, 06:54 PM
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| | Quote:
Originally Posted by AllyS  Anybody has opinions? | They can try to fight it, but it's not worth it. The case will end up dragging on forever and if in the end, the judge sides with the inspector-the fine will be more because of court costs. |
09-30-2007, 01:12 AM
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 21,655
| | | I don't feel like checking, but I bet you aren't allowed to add quarters to a meter you're already parked at.
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09-30-2007, 01:27 PM
| | Member | | Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New York City
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| | Quote:
Originally Posted by undeniably They can try to fight it, but it's not worth it. The case will end up dragging on forever and if in the end, the judge sides with the inspector-the fine will be more because of court costs. | Never have I heard that a citizen gets penalized because he legitimately believes he is innocent. Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigner I don't feel like checking, but I bet you aren't allowed to add quarters to a meter you're already parked at. | You are right, but the OP didnt get a ticket for meter feeding. as the OP stated: Quote: |
Moreover, the time on the ticket was 10:25, i.e. shortly after we put the first quarter in. We looked around, but couldn't see the inspector.
| The bottom line for the OP is that if your time is valuable, fight the ticket by mail. If you lose, the fine will not be more that $35. Your county might offer you a reduced amount to avoid the costs that the county has to pay for a judge etc.
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09-30-2007, 04:17 PM
| | Junior Member | | Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 18
| | | we have had the same thing happenning to us in L.A Ca, what you should do is go to the office and ask to contest the ticket they will send you some papers to fill out and explain what really happened, our ticket was dismissed hope you get the same. |
10-01-2007, 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by PrinceCharming Never have I heard that a citizen gets penalized because he legitimately believes he is innocent. | It's not that they are being penalized. Meter tickets are considered not court items, hence the flat fee to pay it. But, if it should proceed to court and the judge ends up believing the meter maid, well you have a court cost/surcharge tagged on top of it. It's going to be their word against the meter reader. |
10-01-2007, 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by undeniably It's not that they are being penalized. Meter tickets are considered not court items, hence the flat fee to pay it. But, if it should proceed to court and the judge ends up believing the meter maid, well you have a court cost/surcharge tagged on top of it. It's going to be their word against the meter reader. | I was under the impression that parking violations didn't go to court, and any trying of a parking ticket went before a committee, not a judge.
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10-02-2007, 09:52 AM
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Originally Posted by The Occultist I was under the impression that parking violations didn't go to court, and any trying of a parking ticket went before a committee, not a judge. | In NY, they go before an ALJ.
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10-02-2007, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by PrinceCharming In NY, they go before an ALJ. | I see!!
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10-02-2007, 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by PrinceCharming In NY, they go before an ALJ. | Not necessarily. In some of the smaller towns, they have all sorts of people hearing ticket arguments, from the mayor to a traveling district judge (who are sometimes the same person). Some of those small town "courts" are downright scary.
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Originally Posted by me Then start crying uncontrollably. If that doesn't work, fill your pants with shaving cream and start screaming about the voices in your head. Maybe they'll feel bad enough about your other problems and let you out of the ticket. | |
10-02-2007, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by You Are Guilty Some of those small town "courts" are downright scary. | See, now you've just completely intrigued me; now I want to go see some of those!
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