Violation for parking distance away from curb.

[chara33]

Wanting another opinion. Yesterday I was at a health center in a city that is close to me. There is a side street located on the side of the building. This is a pretty busy street which has an what i would call an island. There is parking on both sides of the island with a total of maybe a total of 75 or more spaces to park there. This is pretty normal for this street as it is hard to find a spot to park.

When I got out to the car I noticed there was something under my wiper so I got it and read it. It turned out to be a parking violation. The reason as to what was given is "parking over 1 foot from the curb". This is a company that is not a part of the police dept. When I got home I called a few different police stations to get some opinions. The city that it happened in was my 1st call. I first told the dispatcher of the situation my situation and put me on hold. When someone picked up the phone to call me was another cop. I was told by that person that she wasn't familiar with that law. If a police person doesn't know about this law how am i suppose to know about it? After I talked to the cop she handed the phone to and told him of the situation and he started to laugh about it.

I tried a few other stations and no one would give me an honest answer because in my opinion they thought it was a bogus reason for a ticket. One cop that I explained it to told me that I was putting her in an odd situation where it was hard for answering it with any truth. This tells me that she didnt think it was worthy of a ticket. It is only a $25 dollar ticket. I was also told this was in the handbook from which a person must study before they took their permit test. I took mine over 20 years ago so how was i to know of such a law.

Also, how is a person suppose to know the exact amount of inches away from the curb. Was I suppose to bring a ruler to measure it to ensure I was the apropriate distance from the curb? LOL

Opinions plz.

thx

 

[zaka100]

Try to check if the company is legit. If its not, just throw the ticket away.

 

[carnageX]

Wanting another opinion. Yesterday I was at a health center in a city that is close to me. There is a side street located on the side of the building. This is a pretty busy street which has an what i would call an island. There is parking on both sides of the island with a total of maybe a total of 75 or more spaces to park there. This is pretty normal for this street as it is hard to find a spot to park.

When I got out to the car I noticed there was something under my wiper so I got it and read it. It turned out to be a parking violation. The reason as to what was given is "parking over 1 foot from the curb". This is a company that is not a part of the police dept. When I got home I called a few different police stations to get some opinions. The city that it happened in was my 1st call. I first told the dispatcher of the situation my situation and put me on hold. When someone picked up the phone to call me was another cop. I was told by that person that she wasn't familiar with that law. If a police person doesn't know about this law how am i suppose to know about it? After I talked to the cop she handed the phone to and told him of the situation and he started to laugh about it.

I tried a few other stations and no one would give me an honest answer because in my opinion they thought it was a bogus reason for a ticket. One cop that I explained it to told me that I was putting her in an odd situation where it was hard for answering it with any truth. This tells me that she didnt think it was worthy of a ticket. It is only a $25 dollar ticket.

Did you ask the dispatcher from the city you visited? Look up the city laws online - most places have them available online nowadays, and see what the parking code is for length of parking next to a curb. Usually it's a state thing rather than a city ordinance...but some cities are weird that way.

Was it an actual ticket from the city or a ticket from the health-center's parking parking lot guards / security guards?

I was also told this was in the handbook from which a person must study before they took their permit test. I took mine over 20 years ago so how was i to know of such a law.

I thought that was common knowledge. Ignorance of the law is no excuse btw - try using that excuse that to an officer/judge and see how far that gets you . Kinda one of the reasons I wish re-taking the test was mandatory after so many years...people tend to get too...comfortable with driving and seem to ignore basic rules/guidelines.

Also, how is a person suppose to know the exact amount of inches away from the curb. Was I suppose to bring a ruler to measure it to ensure I was the apropriate distance from the curb? LOL

Opinions plz.

thx

Usually pretty to eyeball whether or not you're >1ft away from the curb. I see that happening on streets often in my town...and everytime I see it, it kinda pisses me off because it takes away road space and forces me over closer to the other lane (or sometimes in the other lane).

 

[Omoplata]

Is there any contact info on the ticket itself? If there is, I would call them and see where that gets you. As far as repercussions go, your license will not be suspended. You will not have any marks on your license or record and they can't really force you to pay the fine. They have no legal weight whatsoever. What they can do though is report your lack of payment to the credit bureaus, which would obviously be a black mark on your credit. They will also probably have a collections agency contact you for payment. Most of the time these types of company imposed violations have insane late penalties on them, so your $25 fine could turn into a couple of hundred. Zaka is probably right, you could probably ignore it, but better to try to resolve it now than ignore it and have it become an issue later.