You too can beat that New York parking ticket
Long Beach, New York — August 23, 2006 —
Manhattan parking is hard enough without the tricks of the City
Erik Feder, the “New York City Parking Expert,” became suspicious after receiving several nearly identical emails from readers of PARKAZINE, his free “Where to Park Your Car in New York City” ezine. His readers often write to him for advice if they feel they have been unfairly fined. People complained about receiving parking tickets incredibly quickly (sometimes within seconds) at the parking meters; it seemed to him that there were too many of these complaints to be mere coincidence. “People were writing to me, suggesting that the city should have spotters to watch the cars that stop at the parking meters or that the meters themselves should have sensors,” says Feder. He decided to conduct his own experiment. Parking at a meter on 2nd Ave near 12th Street in Manhattan, he ducked into a pizza parlor to look around. Just 93 seconds later, a police car pulled up and stopped right next to his car. The officer jumped out, attached a ticket to the windshield, and sped away.
According to Feder, “When I parked, there were no policemen or traffic officers in sight. Suddenly and without hesitation, a car pulls up and gives me a fine, not bothering to check any of the other cars parked at the parking meters on the street. I’m sure. It seemed like they knew what they were going to do before they got to my car.”
Looking at the computer-generated ticket, he saw that part of it was unreadable. “He knew that he could fight and that he had to win,” says Feder. He pleaded not guilty by mail because the ticket was partially illegible, and approximately two months later, he received an envelope from the New York City Department of Finance containing a legible copy of the ticket, and nothing else. “There was no sentence, there was no indication of whether or not I should pay the fine, nothing,” says Feder. He returned that ticket to them, along with a polite letter in which he explained that while he was glad that a legible copy of the ticket existed, the problem was clearly that parts of the original ticket issued to him were not legible.
On July 3, 2006, Feder received a “Decision and Order” letter from the NYCDOF stating that the subpoena was dismissed and that he owed nothing. Feder recommends knowing your rights and being willing to fight if necessary – “People think you can’t fight City Hall, but you can. If you get a parking ticket in Manhattan like I did, you feel like you don’t deserve or not incorrectly, discuss it. If you’re right, stand your ground. There’s no reason someone should pay a parking ticket if they don’t deserve one. Most people would be surprised how many New York City parking tickets there you can beat it”.
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