‘We Had a Death in the Family’: Parking Ticket Appeals

What follows are excerpts from parking ticket appeals letters filed recently with the New Canaan Parking Bureau. Where available, we’ve included information on the violation for which these people were cited, in what amount, and where and when the violation occurred.

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“My husband and I wanted to have lunch in New Canaan on Wednesday, June 2^nd, 2016, as he was already downtown doing some banking. We met at Chef Luis, had lunch and then went into ‘design solutions’ as we thought it looked interesting. It was. We lost track of time, but enclosed is a copy of our ‘ds’ sales receipt with the time stamp from Chef Luis. We have supported the New Canaan restaurants and shops (isn’t the mantra ‘shop locally’?) and we are now being charged $20 each in parking violation fees (total $40). We stopped by the Parking Commission office on our way home and were told to file this form. We requested a statement of when the tires were time-marked, but were told that that information could only be revealed at the appeal hearing. We are shocked by all of this. When you have overly aggressive monitoring of time limits, it is almost impossible to enjoy downtown New Canaan in less than 90 minutes. (Was this time limit decreased recently from 2 hours?) No wonder people do not shop more often in our town. We ask, that as tax-paying retirees in this town, these fines be waived in this situation.”

—$20 and $20 for overtime parking on Elm Street at 3:54 and 3:56 p.m. on June 2

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“I missed the sign that showed there was a time limit for parking in front of the stores. I saw only one that said there was 2-hour parking. I was in town to take my school-aged children to lunch at Station Eats. They were home from school because we had a death in the family. We were all out of sorts and I’m sure that contributed to my missing the signs. If there is any room for leniency given the circumstances, I would truly appreciate it.”

—Overtime parking and parking second violation

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“I am appealing this parking ticket because I was genuinely confused on the signage on the corner of South Avenue and Elm Street. I believed it was a 1-hour zone for parking. Also as I was getting in the car and once in the car sitting the parking came up net to me and handed me a ticket. So technically I wasn’t parked illegally I was idling and furthermore the town failed to adequately perform its legal and judicial duty to distinguish its own signs. Ipso facto, this ticket is unjustifiably issued and irrelevant.”

—$30 for loading zone on South Avenue, at 9:35 a.m. on June 16

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“It was my first day of work, and I parked my car for 5 minutes when I asked my boss where to park and then moved the car immediately afterwards.”

—$20 for unpaid space at Morse Court at 10:29 a.m. on June 8

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“Parked in front of thrift shop to put bag on front porch. I have a handicap sticker and can’t walk very far.”

—$30 for no parking zone on Locust Avenue at 11:37 a.m. on June 1

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“Not a single spot available in meter lot so I parked on the side. My boss was waiting for me and I had no other choice but to park on the side. I am happy to pay the $5 fee but felt my hands were tied yesterday. I would like to appeal in person but will be out of town for the July meeting.”

—$30 for parking on grass at Talmadge Hill, at 11:59 a.m. on May 3

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“Please note that on the date of April 5, 2016 I paid for a parking space at the New Canaan, Main St. Lot. Immediately after the transaction I walked to the store Consider the Cook where I purchased a tart pan. I had called ahead to the store to make sure that they had what I wanted and would be holding it for me as I needed to be back home to my daughters to make the tart and then pick up my granddaughter at the bus stop at 3 p.m. The time I was parked in your lot was about 20 to 25 min. I had paid for an hour. When I returned to my car there was no ticket on my car. Nor would I have been looking for one since I was nowhere close to my time limit. I have been visiting my daughter in New Canaan five to six times a year for about 8 to 9 years. Occasionally I use your parking lot and always pay for my parking as required. You can check your records and see that I never have had any violation. Since I complied with your regulations in good faith and did not over stay my allotted time, I believe that I did not violate your parking regulations in any way and that your fine is without justification.”

—$20 for expired meter at Morse Court on April 5

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“It was my first day of work and I didn’t se the 15 minute parking sign and thought it was a free spot. When my shift was over I had three parking tickets. I would like to appeal as many of these tickets as possible.”

—$20, $40 and $30 for overtime parking, second violation and “other” at Morse Court at 10:35, 11:03 and 11:49 a.m. on May 26

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“Never park at the Park Street lot and was unaware that you can get a second ticket for the same spot.”

—$20 and $40 for unpaid space and second violation at the Park Street lot at 10:14 a.m. and 2:02 p.m. on May 24

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“I am amused and somewhat frustrated by the response. The incident I am appealing is a brief pause in the 15 minute zone behind my office in the Main St. parking lot. I have never appealed before, and always take my lumps. In most instances, I am guilty as charged for overstaying my welcome in a parking spot. However, in this case, I ran in, grabbed a folder and ran out to find a ticket.”

—$20 for overtime parking in Morse Court at 10:06 a.m. on April 19

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“The sign in front of me had parking and the hours listed. There was a law enforcement car or police car directly in front of me on the same block of cars that I was where I parked. I had no intent of parking in a no parking zone. I do not understand why I received this ticket.”

—$30 for no parking zone on Locust Avenue at 12:17 p.m. on June 28, 16