NYC: Bus stop ticket (school)

[pmak67]

The sign consisted of two parts:
At the top: Red background - NO STANDING 7 am - 4 pm School days with an Arrow pointing back
and at the bottom: Blue background - and in the white circle there is a bus with a wheel chair next to it.

There is no bus service on this street so the Bus stop is for the school buses.

My car was parked after the sign. Since the arrow points to the opposite direction am I correct assuming I can park after the sign?
Anyway, I have been parking there many times and now I got a ticket.

The sign is 125 ft from the corner according to Google Map, so my car was parked even farther. But on the ticket it says in the Place of occurrence '75 ft from the corner' which would mean I was parked in the bus stop.

Also on the ticket is says "No Standing bus stop Days/HRS: ALL DAYS/ALL HOURS".

The most logical explanation is that the policeman treated the Bus Stop sign as a stand alone sign and not part of the "No standing" sign that contained an arrow.
But this is just one sign made out of one peace of metal so the arrow should apply to the Bus Stop part of the sign as well.

Is there a way to dispute this ticket?

Can I provide a picture of the sign showing this is just one piece of metal which would mean the NO STANDING part is related to the BUS STOP part and the arrow is in play?
Can I mention that cars are parked after the sign all the time and they don't get ticketed but maybe some new cop in the precinct didn't read the sign correctly and issued a ticket?

As for the discrepancy 75 feet vs 125 feet, I don't think this is relevant. If my car was parked before the sign - he would've ticketed me for parking in the NO Standing zone. Does the fact he ticketed me for standing in the bus stop proves that the car was parked after the sign? Not to mention that the ticket was issued at 3 pm and if the car was indeed parked before the sign - I would've get a ticket soon after 7 am since the road is very busy and dozens police cars must have passed until this one newbie decided the Bus stop goes both ways.

Thanks.

 

[Zigner]

The sign consisted of two parts:
At the top: Red background - NO STANDING 7 am - 4 pm School days with an Arrow pointing back
and at the bottom: Blue background - and in the white circle there is a bus with a wheel chair next to it.

There is no bus service on this street so the Bus stop is for the school buses.

My car was parked after the sign. Since the arrow points to the opposite direction am I correct assuming I can park after the sign?
Anyway, I have been parking there many times and now I got a ticket.

The sign is 125 ft from the corner according to Google Map, so my car was parked even farther. But on the ticket it says in the Place of occurrence '75 ft from the corner' which would mean I was parked in the bus stop.

Also on the ticket is says "No Standing bus stop Days/HRS: ALL DAYS/ALL HOURS".

The most logical explanation is that the policeman treated the Bus Stop sign as a stand alone sign and not part of the "No standing" sign that contained an arrow.
But this is just one sign made out of one peace of metal so the arrow should apply to the Bus Stop part of the sign as well.

Is there a way to dispute this ticket?

Can I provide a picture of the sign showing this is just one piece of metal which would mean the NO STANDING part is related to the BUS STOP part and the arrow is in play?
Can I mention that cars are parked after the sign all the time and they don't get ticketed but maybe some new cop in the precinct didn't read the sign correctly and issued a ticket?

As for the discrepancy 75 feet vs 125 feet, I don't think this is relevant. If my car was parked before the sign - he would've ticketed me for parking in the NO Standing zone. Does the fact he ticketed me for standing in the bus stop proves that the car was parked after the sign? Not to mention that the ticket was issued at 3 pm and if the car was indeed parked before the sign - I would've get a ticket soon after 7 am since the road is very busy and dozens police cars must have passed until this one newbie decided the Bus stop goes both ways.

Thanks.

It sounds to me as if you parked in a bus zone.

 

[pmak67]

It sounds to me as if you parked in a bus zone.

If the Bus Stop sign is a separate thing - then why it is not a separate sign (piece of metal)?

 

[HighwayMan]

You have to check to see what other, if any, signs are posted on that block. That sounds like it might be an Access-A-Ride bus stop.

You can go to the NYC DOT website and there is a section (I don't have it handy) where you can check the parking signs/restrictions on any street and any block in the city. You can use that to get any proof you need to present during the adjudication process.

 

[pmak67]

You have to check to see what other, if any, signs are posted on that block. That sounds like it might be an Access-A-Ride bus stop.

You can go to the NYC DOT website and there is a section (I don't have it handy) where you can check the parking signs/restrictions on any street and any block in the city. You can use that to get any proof you need to present during the adjudication process.

Thanks for that advice. The website the sign read: NO STANDING 7AM-4PM SCHOOL DAYS W/ SINGLE ARROW BUS SYMBOL

And on the ticket is says the BUS STOP is ALL DAYS/ALL TIMES.

So which documents should I include for online hearing? A screen print from the parking sign website? Pictures of the sign making sure it shows this is one piece of metal?
Thanks.

 

[ALawyer]

Parking Tickets In NYC

For whatever it is worth, bring whatever you think you might need, including color photos of the sign, street, etc. Measure the distances with a tape measure if you think that is important. And prepare to tell your story in 30 seconds or less.

Don't expect the hearing to be anything like what you might have seen on TV. If you are picturing the legal equivalent of a fancy white tablecloth restaurant, consider instead a high school cafeteria line or army mess hall that moves quickly, where the staff dishes out globs of food and you have to act fast. In fact, going to the hearing room to observe the process and hear a few cases a few days in advance could be very helpful.

The "everybody parks there defense" is likely to fall on deaf ears, as would the defense that everyone else was also speeding if yours was a speeding ticket. As you've been advised, look at the rules for signage and hope that they will set you free.

 

[HighwayMan]

It is not necessary to appear in person - the Notice of Violation may be adjudicated by mail or online.