so my mom got a ticket...

The ticket is marked at 820am, yet the parking rules say Parking meters are in effect from 830am to 9 pm, but the rules for the street across say 800am pm to 9 pm.

My mom is thinking about disputing the ticket since the ticket was obviosuly marked 10 mins before the rules are in effect.

So, I come to FIPG for advice... !

How much is the ticket?

just fight it

most likely you will win it

Our evidence would include photos and possibly video, right?

Your evidence could be tampered or edited. Media is easy to edit.

Parking tickets will have the meter number on it. That will tell them exactly where you were parked. If it is posted that the parking is enforced starting at 820 in that spot you just have to tell them and they will check it themselves (or they might already know).

[quote2ef738003f="EatChex89"]Your evidence could be tampered or edited. Media is easy to edit.[/quote2ef738003f]

I don't mean to sound mean, but in the real world people just don't edit things like that. It's called fraud and will land you in jail. Besides it takes a lot of talent to alter a picture enough to fool people and most people don't have that kind of talent.

fight it fight it fight it!

almost always the cost will be lowered, and if two signs are contradicting themselves your mom should get off scott free.

From a totally ethical standpoint, she should fight it, they shouldn't be able to ticket her illegally and try to get away with it. From a practical aspect, however, your mom needs to consider if the cost of the ticket is worth the time and hassle of fighting it? Will she need to take time off work to go down to city hall? Will it be a quick 15 minute thing or will it take all morning? Is there any chance at all she'll go through all the hassle and still lose? Unfortunately for her, it's a lose/lose situation...she'll either be out money or her precious time. She has my sympathy...I've had a similar situation happen to me in the past and it still pi$$es me off! evil

Don't know how it works down here...but up here you go to your hearing on a first-come/first-served basis (you are given a date to go in, but the order in which you sign-in is the order in which you are called). The hearing is about 10-15 minutes long, and basically you get to tell your side of the story. More than likely the person administering the hearing (forgot what their title) won't have any idea about the specifics of the area she got the ticket (i.e. when the meters are in effect).

A good picture should suffice...I got off a parking ticket (failure to display handicapped parking permit) when I took a picture with my phone....he literally said "I think you're guilty, but I'm going to find you not guilty because you've presented a compelling defense." The thing is, along with the picture, I explained that I was going to a bar that was about 1/3 mile away from where I parked. If I was going to park illegally, I'd have done it right in front of the building evil

Always fight a ticket.

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I would definately take it to court, and I know some of you are looking at me weird now if you know what I do. My first reason is overtime, most cops get overtime to go to court if they are not working, but most importantly in 99% of of all municipalities you have to pay court cost and a fine, whether you go to court or not. SO since you have to pay the court cost, go and tell your story to the Judge, what's the worst he's going to say, pay it, you were going to anyways when you were thinking of not fighting it.

So you decide to take it to court. I would go take pictures. Preferably from a disposable or Polaroid camera, don't print from home, it does raise question of photoshop... Take a picture of the block, try to get a building with an address on it, that way it'll match the Hundred block on your ticket. Then zoom in closer to the stalls, and meter, and most importantly that sign that says 0830 for parking. Then show the judge the ticket time and you'll be set.

While your doing your pictures, see if there is a meter # on the ticket, make sure you take a picture of that meter as well in relation to the sign, especially since there are different rules across the street.

Good luck, I'm not usually one to give advice out of a ticket, but when the meter maids are wrong, they are wrong. ;)

Thanks for the advice everyone. What Givemea just said, is what I just read on the NYC parking rules site.
[quotea5c3be3f2a]
For this reason, if your defense is that all the signs on the block were missing or illegible or that the sign where your vehicle was parked is different from the one stated on the summons, you should submit overlapping photographs of the entire block, corner to corner. Photographs are important evidence at your hearing, particularly when you plead "Not Guilty" due to missing signs.

Photographs should clearly identify the street name and the building address stated on the summons. The photos should also show all signs on the block, including the front and back of any illegible ones. You may also submit additional evidence, such as diagrams, witness statements, maps, videos, etc.[/quotea5c3be3f2a]

I'll probably look more into the street and taking pictures on Monday.

I have a handicap tag and fought a ticket because I was parked in a leveled parking garage and I obviously didnt hang my hang tag on all the way and it fell off I guess from the people driving around the garage at the mall onto my dashboard. I won. I fought a ticket that they gave me on a Saturday when the meter was do not pay on Saturdays and anyway in Baltimore if you park at a meter with a handicap tag you do not have to pay. I won. If anyone is wondering why I have a handicap tag is because of my asthma, which is not normal run of the mill asthma but asthma that puts me in ICU once or twice a year and even with a crap load of meds and shots is still uncontrolled. Fight the ticket if your mom did nothing wrong, she shouldn't have been ticketed. Now if she retrieved the ticket after 830 when she was supposed to move then she was illegally parked, lol.

[quote14d90feb62="kidd2108"]The ticket is marked at 820am, yet the parking rules say Parking meters are in effect from 830am to 9 pm, but the rules for the street across say 800am pm to 9 pm.

My mom is thinking about disputing the ticket since the ticket was obviosuly marked 10 mins before the rules are in effect.

So, I come to FIPG for advice... ![/quote14d90feb62]

why not dispute...what harm will come.
just like u should never plead guilty to speeding...