Council Bills Seek To Aid Motorists
The City Council voted last Wednesday, Jan. 18 on a three-bill package intended to make parking enforcement fairer and to eliminate excessive ticketing in New York City.
The first bill, presented by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn during her 2011 State of the City address, would help drivers who receive a parking ticket while in the process of paying for a muni-meter spot.
Under the legislation, Traffic Enforcement Agents, with electronic ticketing devices, will now be able- and required-to cancel the ticket on the spot when presented with a munimeter receipt that shows a time no later than five minutes after the time the ticket was issued, averting the for New Yorkers to dispute it later.
This legislation only applies to tickets written electronically, which account for approximately 85 percent of parking tickets written in the city, so there can be no dispute over the time stamped on the ticket and the muni-meter receipt.
Finally, the city would be required to report the number of cancelled tickets annually to the City Council.
“New York City drivers feel enough anxiety every day already without having to worry about getting a ticket while they’re walking to the muni-meter,” said Council Member James Gennaro, the bill’s lead sponsor. “By ensuring that premature violations are canceled if a receipt is shown within five minutes of the ticket being written, my bill will bring a little peace of mind to residents who are trying to do the right thing and pay for their parking.”
The Council also voted on legislation to prohibit late fees on parking tickets prior to a determination of liability. Under current law, late fees may start accruing 30 days after a ticket is issued, rather than 30 days after a determination is made in these cases. This bill would suspend the accrual of late fees until at least 30 days after a finding of guilt, or 30 days after an appeal is decided.
Finally, the Council voted to end a practice that utilizes adhesive stickers to mark vehicles allegedly violating alternate side parking rules. According to the City Council, these stickers are attached even before motorists are given the chance to prove their innocence, and that many people are stuck with the stickers even after successfully challenging the tickets.
“If a driver violates alternate side street cleaning regulations, they may receive a ticket and plead guilty or not guilty. Is there also a need to place a sticker on the driver’s side window which in effect tells them they are guilty? The answer is no! Is it fair that motorists be given an ample opportunity to pay the munimeter and to also use that receipt to prove their innocence? Isn’t it only right that a late fee be added to a ticket when payment is actually late? The answers to those questions are yes! It’s called basic fairness,” said Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca of the three-bill package of legislation.
