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NYC PO incorrectly wrote registr. exp. date

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piglingz

Guest
What is the name of your state? New York, New York

I have a moving violation ticket from driving in manhatten, NY. The P.O. ticketed me on driving in bus lane. But, I was making a right turn (bus lane is on the right-most lane), so I inevitably need to merge on right lane to make a right turn. DO I have a chance in fighting this ticket? BTW, the P.O. incorrectly wrote the year field of the registration expiration as "5" rather than "05"; Can this anomaly overturn the ticket's validity? I appreciate all responses, thanks.
 


HomeGuru

Senior Member
piglingz said:
What is the name of your state? New York, New York

I have a moving violation ticket from driving in manhatten, NY. The P.O. ticketed me on driving in bus lane. But, I was making a right turn (bus lane is on the right-most lane), so I inevitably need to merge on right lane to make a right turn. DO I have a chance in fighting this ticket? BTW, the P.O. incorrectly wrote the year field of the registration expiration as "5" rather than "05"; Can this anomaly overturn the ticket's validity? I appreciate all responses, thanks.
**A: you guilty.
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
CdwJava said:
No. A clerical error is NOT cause to toss the citation.

Carl

**A: Carl, please expound on this issue from your viewpoint. I believe the writer was driving in the bus lane and not only just turning. In addition, on a turn, there should be 2 lanes turning so why did the writer need to go into the bus lane? If there was only one lane (bus) to turn, then the writer was in the wrong lane to make the turn.
 
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piglingz

Guest
Thank you for the response. From reading it, if there is only one lane(bus) to turn, why wouldn't I merge into it before I make the turn? Otherwise I would have to turn on the second right-most lane, thus violating a traffic law.

Thanks.
 

CdwJava

Senior Member
Bus and dedicated trolley lanes can be too confusing for me to even think of commenting on without seeing it and knowing the law in New York on the matter. We don't tend to have dedicated bus lanes here in CA (at least I have never come across one - though we do have HOV lanes on some highways), and trolley lanes are generally not prohibited to entry.

Whether the OP has a chance at defending against the citation will depend on whether he is legally permitted to make the right turn by temporarily occupying the lane. AND whether the officer can articulate that the OP was NOT turning but was actually driving. It could be that the officer observed the OP driving in the lane and the defense of making a turn came up afterward ... or, that the OP simply entered the prohibited lane far too early and gave the impression he was driving in the lane and not simply preparing for a turn.

I do not recall dedicated bus lanes in San Diego where I used to live, and suspect that only San Francisco MIGHT have such a thing ... though I didn't notice them when I was last there.

Carl
 

HomeGuru

Senior Member
piglingz said:
Thank you for the response. From reading it, if there is only one lane(bus) to turn, why wouldn't I merge into it before I make the turn? Otherwise I would have to turn on the second right-most lane, thus violating a traffic law.

Thanks.
**A: Ok, was this bus lane only for buses? If it was, you are guilty. Something just does not make sense. What did the signs state. "Bus Lane Only"?
 

You Are Guilty

Senior Member
I have been told that this (bus lane turns) is primarily a matter of discretion, i.e. you get a one-block grace period to get into the lane to turn, but any more than that and you are occupying the bus lane. However, perusing the VTL, about the only thing I could find to substantiate that is NYC Rules s.4-07(b)(1):
No person shall operate a vehicle in a manner which obstructs traffic in lanes specifically designated for the movement of traffic...
Without knowing what section the OP was cited under, it's impossible to say for certain, but my guess is if his driving fell into the one-block grace zone, he might have a decent shot at contesting the ticket.

Of course, if he was one of the dozens of imbeciles that turn my 45 minute commute into a 90 minute commute by blocking the bus lanes, I hope he enjoys the $150 fine :D


{edit} Typos, typos, as far as the eye can see... :(
 

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