Sticker Shock in NYC

[MJ]

Yesterday evening, I got a call my 95 yo Dad who went to the emergency room due to a fall. Other than needed some stiches on his head, he was ok and I drove up to take him back to his apartment. Parking in the city especially after midnight is bad. I did manage to find a spot about 5 blocks from his home on a poorly lit street. When I went to move my car this morning, I arrived just in time to see a traffic "officer" ticketing my car for "blocking" the pedestrian walkway on a deserted street by about 6". I know NYC can use money but ticket was for $165. Had I been there just 5 minutes earlier. Ouch.
I may fight and use the sympathy card that I picked up my dear ol 95 y/o dad late at night etc. Probably won't work as the judges are only interested in the letter of the law (to bring in the money)and not the spirit of the law which I don't believe I violated, but I'll give it a shot.

MJ

 

[brewer12345]

This kind of penny-ante crap is one of the many reasons I have zero interest in ever living in that city again. Fight the ticket. The worst that can happen is that you end up paying it anyway. One thing to do is look very carefully at the ticket and see if they made any errors filling it out. I successfully fought several such tickets by pointing out errors on the ticket (wrong license plate #, checked off sedan when my car was a wagon, etc.).

 

[Andre1969]

A couple months ago I got a $100 ticket for parking on a street in DC. I knew I was in a 2 hour zone, but didn't realize that at 4:00, that curb lane opens up for rush-hour traffic! I guess I'm just lucky I didn't get towed!

And if it's any consolation, at least there were 3 or 4 other cars there that had been ticketed as well, so I wasn't the only idiot.

 

[Texas Proud]

A couple months ago I got a $100 ticket for parking on a street in DC.  I knew I was in a 2 hour zone, but didn't realize that at 4:00, that curb lane opens up for rush-hour traffic!  I guess I'm just lucky I didn't get towed! 

And if it's any consolation, at least there were 3 or 4 other cars there that had been ticketed as well, so I wasn't the only idiot. 

Yep, they want to clear out the major lanes to easy rush hour traffic... I remember many years ago seeing a line of tow truck along these parked cars... When I go closer, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket, waving over the first tow truck to move it and then walking to the next car... cleared the whole block in about 10 minutes.