» Parking Tickets

Margot Tohn in Parking Today Mag
April 30, 2012

A few months ago I wrote how I had received, then beat, a NYC parking ticket. Parking Today magazine was intrigued by my story and asked me to write an article with ways that cities and towns could help both residents and visitors not get parking violations. And if someone did get a ticket, how to ensure that the regulations and signage were so clear that the ticket couldn’t be dismissed.

Some of my recommendations included:

  1. Place the signs so people know which part of the street that sign refers to,
  2. Create regulations that make sense,
  3. Have clear and simple language on the signs,
  4. Make sure the signposts are sturdy and installed well enough so the wind can’t turn around the sign,
  5. traffic enforcement must submit a ticket that is correctly filled out, and
  6. fix all broken parking meters.

The response to my article has been great! Read the full article here.

Filed under: NYC Street Parking,Parking News,Parking Tickets — mtohn @ 11:30 am
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Cars Booted for NYC Parking Tkts
April 20, 2012

PayLock_Smart_Boot NYC parkingBad news if you have $350 or more in NYC Parking Tickets. NYC has hired PayLock to put new-age tire boots, called Smart Boot, on any car with more than $350 in NYC parking violations.

According to the NY Daily News, here’s the scoop on how much it will cost you in time and money to shake the Smart Boot.

  1. A city marshal will be deployed with teams of PayLock employees. The marshal will verify that a car has more than $350 in judgments, then authorize PayLock to boot it.
  2. The scofflaw can either call a toll-free number and pay his bill immediately by credit or debit card or go to a city payment center to pay the tickets and fees in cash, and get the code to self-release the boot. 
  3. A motorist who owes $355 in parking tickets, for example, will have to pay an additional $180 for Paylock’s “boot fee,” $70 for Read more…
Filed under: Parking Tickets — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 12:11 pm
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20 Ways to Save on NYC Parking
February 28, 2012

Why isn’t most NYC parking free? The street is public property, right?

If all street parking were free, then many people wouldn’t move their cars and people wouldn’t be able to find an empty spot. So charging for on-street parking is a way to manage the supply and demand, plus generate revenue for NYC to maintain the city. And since street parking is highly sought after, NYC can charge for it based on its value to drivers.

When it comes to NYC parking, you have three choices: the first two are a non-metered, free parking space on the street, or try to find a vacant metered space. If that fails, there are 1,100 NYC parking garages in Manhattan alone that will take your car, make sure it isn’t stolen or damaged, and charge you appropriately for it.

But we found at least 20 ways to save on both NYC street and NYC garage parking. If you think of any more ways, let us know!

NYC Street Parking

  1. Non-Metered Streets:  there are many streets in residential areas where there is free parking on the street. Usually in the E 60s and above, or the W 70s and above. Read more…
Filed under: NYC Street Parking,Parking & Driving Advice,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , , — mtohn @ 11:01 am
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Idling Near Schools – No Tickets!
February 7, 2012

NYC isn’t giving out enough tickets to drivers who idle their vehicles, according to a recent CNN article.  There were about 10 million NYC parking tickets issued in fiscal year 2010, and only 2,989 ‘idling’ parking tickets issued in fiscal year 2011.

The NYC law used to be that New York drivers had three minutes to turn off idling engines, but in 2009 the city passed more stringent laws: Drivers now have one minute to turn off their engines if they’re adjacent to a school. On average, agents are issuing one idling parking ticket per year.

Filed under: Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking Tickets — Tags: , — mtohn @ 4:13 pm
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NYC Has 2nd Most Expensive Parking

NYC Parking TicketNew Yorkers can stop complaining about the cost of NYC street parking, at least for a few minutes.  The news just came in that Vancouver street parking is actually the most expensive street parking in North America, at $5.75 per hour.

But NYC and Chicago are close behind at $5.00, and then San Francisco at $4.25.

And if you overstay your NYC parking meter? Then you, along with folks in San Francisco, will be paying the highest amount for your NYC parking ticket, at $65 each.

The survey, done by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, showed that:

Hourly Parking Meter Rates

1. Vancouver — $5.75 (lowest rate is 1.00)

2. New York City & Chicago — $5.00 ( NYC’s Greenwich Village is highest while lowest rate is $2.50 in downtown, Chicago’s lowest rate is $1.50) Read more…

Filed under: NYC Street Parking,Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking News,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , , — mtohn @ 3:33 pm
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Can I Park Here app
February 5, 2012

Joshua Brustein from The New York Times just reviewed a new parking app called ‘Can I Park Here’. The app lets you take a photograph of a NYC street parking sign, and then the app will tell you if you can park there or not, and for how long. Once you decide to park, the app will start a timer and mark your location so you don’t overstay the meter or allotted time and get a NYC parking ticket. Totally cool and pretty simple, right?

Brustein tested about a dozen NYC parking spaces, though, and the app just didn’t work for him. The app reported that Brustein wasn’t actually close enough to the NYC parking sign, but even when he put his phone about one foot from the parking sign and took the photo, no luck. He eventually found out Read more…

Filed under: NYC Street Parking,Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking Apps,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 8:57 am
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Muni-Meter Changes
February 1, 2012

NYC muni-meter for street parkingLast year, we told you that you could use a NYC Muni-Meter receipt at more than one NYC street parking spot. So if you purchased 3 hours and only used 2 hours, you could still use that receipt for the third hour if you needed to park somewhere else — that also had a NYC Muni-Meter.

Sadly, that convenience may be changing. The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering changing the rules so that you can use what’s left on the Muni-Meter receipt ONLY at a meter that charges the same rates. Read more…

Filed under: NYC Parking Card/Muni Meters,NYC Street Parking,Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , — mtohn @ 5:51 pm
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I Beat A Parking Ticket
January 25, 2012
Margot Tohn NYC parking sign

One of the NYC Street Parking Signs

Yes, it can be done! With the expert advice and help of New York Parking Ticket, I beat a NYC parking ticket for No Standing. Here’s what happened:

On October 16, 2011, I parked on Greenwich Street in lower Manhattan. I, along with a lawyer, read the parking signs for about 5 minutes before we decided that it was fine to park there on a Sunday afternoon. The immediate area had a series of NYC parking signs including:

  • No Standing 6AM – 10AM Except Sunday
  • No Standing Except Buses, Metered Parking 3 hr Limit 10AM – 3PM Except Sunday
  • Bus Layover Zone, No Standing Except Authorized Buses, 3PM – 7Pm Except Sunday
  • No Standing Except Trucks Loading & Unloading 6AM – 10AM Except Sunday
  • 3PM – 7Pm Except Sunday
  • Other Times No Standing Anytime

To make it even more confusing, some of the signs were in red and others were in white. In NYC, a street parking sign’s level of importance uses the colors Red, White, and then Blue, with Red being the most important to follow.

Margot Tohn NYC Parking Ticket Sign

This was near where I parked, and I showed the Street Signs as well

New York Parking Ticket advised me to Read more…

Filed under: NYC Street Parking,Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking Tickets — Tags: , — mtohn @ 5:11 pm
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Test Your Driving Skills
January 18, 2012

We all hear how texting while driving, talking on the telephone, checking your GPS, picking up things from the car floor, and reaching back to check on children in the back seat increases your risk of getting into a car accident. All these activities fall into the category of ‘Distracted Driving’. Now there’s a new online game that tests your driving skills while you’re being distracted by pedestrians, speed traps, disabled vehicles, and GPS.

Developed at the University of Minnesota, the ‘Distraction Dodger’ game has you driving a pizza truck and trying to deliver a hot pizza to pedestrians on the street, all while you’re being interrupted by all the usual elements of distracted driving. Every time you deliver a hot pizza, you earn money. With more money, you get more distractions and greater access to your delivery area.

It took me a while to get the hang of accelerating and braking (hint: every time you touch the correct key it moves the spedometer 5 mph), but after a while it can be fun. You’ll be tempted by texting while driving, dogs crossing the street, adjusting the radio, waving to friends, parked cars, and police sirens.  All these distracted driving factors can earn you a NYC parking ticket, give it a try!

Click here to start playing Distraction Dodger.

 

 

 

Filed under: Parking & Traffic Tickets,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , , — mtohn @ 9:44 am
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NYC Parking Tkt Program Ends
November 13, 2011

NYC Parking TicketNYC is stopping its program to reduce fines for NYC parking tickets if you don’t bring the case to court. If you don’t see the judge, your NYC parking violation for an overtime meter ticket or alternate side parking are reduced by 33% because you’re saving NYC the time and cost of having judges deal with all these NYC parking violations. The program was initially started in 2007 to manage the backlog of unpaid tickets.

In Manhattan South of of 96th St,  alternate side parking and expired meter NYC parking tickets are reduced from $65 to $43. If you appeal and lose, you’ll pay $65.

In Manhattan Above 96th St and in Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, alternate side parking and expired meter NYC parking tickets are reduced from Read more…

Filed under: NYC Parking,NYC Parking Card/Muni Meters,Parking Tickets — Tags: , , , , — mtohn @ 8:43 am
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