‘I Had No Idea This Was Handicapped’: Parking Ticket Appeals

The following parking ticket appeals letters were filed within the last month with the New Canaan Parking Bureau. What follows are fragments of the appeals letters as well as information on time and date of violations, and amount of fines.

I am giving you notice of my intent to appeal this citation, enclosed. I was in my car, running, waiting for my husband to exit [a Pine Street] sandwich shop, picking up sandwiches for his Bible Study. Suddenly a parking officer slapped a ticket on my windshield and dashed back to her car. I immediately turned off my car, exited and ran to her car and asked why she didn’t simply ask me to move. She said that she had honked at me several times, but I question this. I sat in my car with no phone, no radio, no sound distractions at all.

—11:36 a.m. on April 23, $30 for no parking zone on Pine Street

***

This is a poorly marked spot. I had no idea this was handicapped. It appeared to be in front of the spot which is why I made sure before leaving my car that my tire was behind the white line. I never have and never will park in a handicapped spot. These lines need to be clear and have obviously been rubbed out after the difficult winter.

—11:14 a.m. on April 22, $200 for handicapped zone at Morse Court

***

I approached the parking vending machines to find several women in distress, as the machines were not working. When a parking slot number was inserted, the computer read ‘Searching for Available Spot,’ and thereafter the vending machine began communicating with the main computer (or so it seemed), for many, many minutes on end, with no change or resolution offered: an endless computer glitch. Clearly, the machines were not working on that day.

—12:51 p.m. on April 24, $20 for unpaid space at Park Street lot

***

The parking meter would not allow us to put in $1.00 worth of quarters. After we entered our spot number, we continued to press $1.00 but the machine kept busting.

—2:21 p.m. on March 21, $20 for unpaid space at Morse Court

***

I didn’t have my full wallet with me with my credit card. There was a long line at the meter. My son and I were just running into a store. I only needed 15-30 mins for a space.

—12:27 p.m. on April 2, $20 for unpaid space at Morse Court

***

My sister and I were on our way to NYC and stopped in New Canaan for lunch. I was unfamiliar with your parking system and tried to follow the directions on the meter box. I put in money and didn’t really pay attention to the time it gave me being unfamiliar with your meter system. I thought we had at least an hour on the meter but apparently we only had 45 minutes. We WERE five minutes late. I called immediately to find out if I could come in and explain the situation and the person who answered the phone told me to write a letter. I ask that you please not charge me for this oversight. (Letter writer presents two options: Pay the ticket or “try to be more conscious of time and ticket forgiven”)

—3:53 p.m. on March 15, $20 for unpaid space at Morse Court

***

Perhaps I am too stupid to use the kiosk but I have been parking in New Canaan for 20+ years without a problem and without a ticket. I really question whether the machines were working properly that day.

—12:23 p.m. on March 28, $20 for unpaid space at Morse Court

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I parked on the street for only 20 minutes and got this ticket. I returned from Stamford (after 90 minutes) and parked on the street in a different spot that I was at in the a.m. Please dismiss this as it is wrong.

—1:03 p.m. on April 23, $20 for overtime parking at Pine Street

***

Meter machine does not take all quarters and spits them out over and over again. When finally eight quarters were put into the machine, the ticket came out and so did four quarters giving me a ticket for 1 hour only—the ticket receipt was clocked through 12:27 p.m. the ticket was issued at 12:31—this is not acceptable.

—12:31 p.m. on April 22, $20 for unpaid space at Morse Court