Double Parking Ticket
Yesterday at 4:20 pm, I double parked my car outside my home on Wash Ave to off-load my 3 and 7 year old. I left the flashers on and my wife came down the stoop to pick them up. In the 4 min transaction an 88 Precinct patrol car pulled in front of my car…
Yesterday at 4:20 pm, I double parked my car outside my home on Wash Ave to off-load my 3 and 7 year old. I left the flashers on and my wife came down the stoop to pick them up. In the 4 min transaction an 88 Precinct patrol car pulled in front of my car and issued a ticket even though they saw the kids. Arguing was in vain and the officer said she ‘wanted to teach me a lesson’. However, the ticket was incomplete and omitted the time. I plan on contesting it and have three witnesses who saw the bizarre exchange. Any advice?
This may sound crazy, but the cop may have actually given you a break by leaving that information off. Once in a while they have to write a ticket if they are with a superior perhaps but leaving that off may have been done intentionally
NYC issues parking tickets to generate revenue, not because said activities are necessary causing traffic problems. They freely admit it, which is insane. Other places in the country don’t treat parking tickets as a means of renvenue in the same way.
Why else would they have paid meters running until 10pm?!!! Or two trucks literally waiting for 8am alternate side parking?
It’s unfortunate because it makes people very grumpy and hostile about driving and parking.
Granted, some people are self-centered and do idiotic things (like double park in from of Trader Joes for 45 mins), but most people are just trying to function.
Never put on flashers. Just leave your lights on. Brownies will think you are in your car and may not come down the block. Flashers say come get me. A brownie told me this. It was a while ago but it made sense.
But did you learn your lesson?
Here da rulzs
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/trafrule.pdf
What about just being a good citizen about it? You did the “crime,” pay the damn fine.
Funny how people who have obviously broken the law fight perfectly-deserved tickets.
Did it ever occur to you that even though you can get out of it, you may have some moral imperative to pay it?
You got my sympathy. It sucks that you can’t unload your kids or receive a reasonable warning. I think the disappointing part of the issue is the collective awareness (or un-awareness) when it comes to these situations. As a lifelong Brooklyner my general knowledge was that double parking in your particular situation was seen as a “courtesy” from your neighbors and the police under reasonable circumstances (not blocking the entire lane while quickly unloading grandmother,children etc).
In the back of my mind I do realize that their is always the chance of getting a law enforcer who won’t be reasonable. Oh and…
1. Parking at the hydrant? I would think that would get a swifter ticket.
2. In my experience and rude awakenings cops are
a) Revenue generators
b)Keepers of the peace
c) Law enforcers
…in that order.I did not include reasonable or compassionate on purpose.
Gotta wonder about some of our fellow posters.Sounds like they have an axe to grind. To them I say “Lighten up Francis”.
Yes, it’s illegal, but there’s also the “death of common sense” factor. I have no problem with people double parking (or parking by a hydrant or in a no parking zone) for a few minutes while off-loading people or unloading the car, particularly given the dearth of on street parking (and particularly when someone is by their car).
But, IMO, it also depends on where they’re double parked. As Pete points out, people double park by Trader Joe’s on Court all the time, often for long periods of time (my guess is they’re waiting for someone who’s shopping inside), and they sit their deliberately oblivious to how they’re backing up traffic and making it that much harder for pedestrians to cross as other cars try to navigate around the double parker.
jb312 — Just to be clear, it is legal to stop in front of a fire hydrant for as long as you want… as long as it’s daytime AND you remain behind the wheel ready to move your car in case of an emergency. You don’t have to have your engine running or anything like that.