Less tickets with roll-over parking minutes
Brooklyn drivers may finally get a reprieve from parking tickets with a bill aimed at clarifying the issue of roll-over paid minutes at muni-meter spots, something that local Assemblyman William Colton has been working towards for some time.
The bill states that drivers who purchase time from a muni-meter parking spot can keep the receipt and use remaining time on another muni-meter spot in the city. The transferred receipt must be for spaces that are equal or lesser value than the original paid spot.
Colton attempted to introduce similar legislation in February but it did not go far because the City Council wanted a crack at leading the initiative.
Residents had already thought that roll-over minutes were allowed, but received parking tickets when they attempted to use leftover minutes, as previously reported by the Bensonhurst Bean.
The bill has the backing of Council Speaker Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg. Quinn told the NY Post that the bill is “plain and simple. You buy the time, you get to use it.”
Colton said that he’s “pleased the council is finally responding to concerns many of my constituents have been raising for some time.”
The following is a press release from the office of State Senator Marty Golden:
SENATOR GOLDEN: TWO HOUR METERS TO BE INSTALLED ON 3rd AND 5th AVENUES IN APRIL
Brooklyn – State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) today is
announcing that the New York City Department of Transportation has
responded to his request and has approved two hour parking meters for 3rd
and 5th Avenue.
The Department of Transportation has determined based on Senator
Golden’s request that the need for additional parking time along these two
commercial avenues is warranted. The Bureau of Parking will complete the
work to affect this change by April of this year. Continue Reading »
The following is a press release from the office of Assemblyman William Colton:
New bill by NY Assemblyman William Colton
aims to end parking meter “shell game”
“City bureaucrats must stop ticketing New Yorkers for breaking a law that does not exist! New Yorkers are getting ripped off for simply following the law!” -Assemblyman Colton
Who: Brooklyn Assemblyman William Colton (D-Bensonhurst/Gravesend)
What: Assemblyman Colton has introduced legislation (A9065) that would allow New Yorkers to use the same muni meter receipt to park in more than one location. This bill seeks to end what he calls a parking meter “shell game,” which rips off New York motorists.
Why: In September 2011, Assemblyman Colton learned that many New Yorkers were being unfairly ticketed for using the same muni meter receipt with remaining time left on it to park in more than one location, despite no law banning such practice.
However, when first contacted by Assemblyman Colton’s office, the Department of Transportation (DOT) could not clearly state whether New Yorkers were allowed to use Continue Reading »
(from cheezburger.com)
Yesterday, News 12 Brooklyn reported that drivers in our neighborhood say they’re ‘confused’ by city parking rules for muni-meters – those annoying new parking meters that spit out teeny-tiny paper receipts.
One of the good things about the meters was that they were supposed to allow minutes left on a receipt from one spot to be used at another.
However, a local assemblyman told reporters that area residents who tried to carry over the muni-meter minutes have instead been issued parking tickets.
Assemblyman William Colton says that the DOT even went so far as to tell motorist advocacy groups that it’s legal to transfer the minutes, provided there is time left on the meter, leading many to assume doing so is within the rules.
From News 12:
But Colton says that during the past few months, his office has received numerous calls from drivers in Bensonhurst who have gotten parking violations for doing just that.
Bensonhurst Bean visited the DOT website and was unable to find any mention of the allowance on a page which lists the rules for muni-meters.
Colton has requested the DOT to make an announcement clarifying the law.
If any readers out there work for DOT or NYPD traffic enforcement, please feel free to give us the lowdown on the true muni-meter rules in the comments below.
Assemblyman William Colton represents Assembly District 47, which includes Bensonhurst, as well as parts of Gravesend and Midwood.
