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Not really... NYC is brutal. I've been parked legitimately far enough away from a fire hydrant with 3 testimonies, and a photo and still had to pay. This time it was legitimate too, I just didn't see the No Standing sign, which was not close at all to where I parked. Even then, I wasn't really sure EXACTLY what No Standing means. I looked it up to remind everyone (at least in New York State):
A NO PARKING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers.
A NO STANDING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload passengers.
A NO STOPPING sign means you may stop only in order to obey a traffic sign, signal or officer, or to avoid conflicts with other vehicles.
The BS part of it is that you get towed - obviously you were doing something wrong. Then you go to the pound to get your car out and pay them the towing fee. You walk out to your car and it has a ticket on the windshield. I ask the guy "Oh, isn't that a pleasant surprise - I have to take care of this too?" he says "within 30 days". What I don't understand is
1. Couldn't they tow you for just about any parking related offense, legitimate or not just to fill the city's coffers with towing fees? I wouldn't trust many cops to make that distinction when their orders are often quota-based.
2.If you claim innocence, how (short of taking a picture of your car right after you park it - which, from now on I will be doing in NYC) do you prove it without taking photos/measurements of the car where the offense occurred if the car is gone from that spot?
which brings me to:
3.If you are in obvious offense of a parking law which deems it eligible for towing, sure, pleading not guilty should be an option, but hell... shouldn't the towing expense optionally include the fine for the parking offense? Usually your car is towed for a reason, right? They wouldn't let me pay for the ticket there too.
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