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. We preserve spelling, capital letters and punctuation as written by the appellant.
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“I AM writing this to contest parking ticket … issued on Dec. 28, 2016 to my grey 2003 Toyota Corolla which I parked at MAIN STREET, New Canaan, in front of the New Canaan Library main entrance. The ticket states that my fine of $20 is being issued for OVERTIME PARKING. The meter is N/A. The parking sign in front of my spot states that 2-hour parking is licit. I parked there no more than an hour while using the public library. I have photos of my car parked behind the sign immediately after the ticket was received (see attach). The officer’s badge is #304. I am requesting evidence of what time my vehicle was marked before issuing this citation. Otherwise, I request to contest this fine.”
—$20 for overtime parking on Main Street at 12:58 p.m. on Dec. 28
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“It was my impression, mistakenly, that I had a two-hour time limit for parking on Elm Street. Thus, I was surprised when I exited the movie theater with my daughter to find an ‘overtime’ parking ticket on my window. My husband later informed me that the parking limit is 90 minutes for Elm Street—he commutes every day out of New Canaan to NYC and is apparently very ‘up-to-date’ on the parking situation in town. With that said, I would kindly request that you consider rescinding this parking ticket. In the future, I will make a point to park in one of the off-street lots that provide additional time for activities in town. While I did not know there was a time limit for on-street parking on Elm, I had genuinely planned to adhere to the incorrect two-hour limit I had in mind. My apologies.”
—$20 for overtime parking on Elm Street at 12:54 p.m. on Dec. 29
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“On Dec. 28, 2016, I received a parking ticket when I parked my family’s car in the railroad parking lot, adjacent to the platform. The car that I parked is, and has been, registered to park in New Canaan train station for many years now. Since it was a slow commuting day, I noticed numerous available parking spots in the lot adjacent to the platform, and thus parked there. There was no clearly visible signage that said these spots were metered spots only. Furthermore, I have parked in these spots on multiple occasions because the car is registered to park at the train station, and this train station parking lot. As a college student, I am not aware of the parking rule changes in town. I am certain that when I was a student at New Canaan High School, parking in the lot adjacent to the platform was legal as long as you have a registered car. Since going to college, there has clearly been a rule change saying that the registered car is only allowed to park in the Lumberyard. My mother, who reads the New Canaan Advertiser weekly, and is very informed regarding developments in town, also had no idea of the rule change. She would have parked in the same lot next to the platform because there were many open spots, we have a registered car, and parking there that day did not take a spot away from a commuter. Most important, when looking at the town website at the listed parking lot, there is NO distinction between the railroad lot and the Lumberyard lot. In fact, if you look at the website, you see that the spot we are registered to park in says, ‘Railroad/Lumberyard Lot.’ There is no distinction between the lot adjacent to the platform and the Lumberyard lot. Attached is a photo taken directly from the Town of New Canaan website. To me, this means ANY of the lots in the railroad area. For the above reasons, I do not feel as though I should have to pay this ticket. I would suggest that signage at this lot is improved, and that the lot description on the town website is made more clear.”
—$30 for unpaid space at the Railroad lot, at 1:02 p.m. on Dec. 28
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“I had the pass clipped to the back of my sun shade which I pulled down. The light hitting the windshield made it difficult to see. If possible, please return my uncashed check.”
—$100 for handicapped zone on Elm Street at 1:53 p.m. on Jan. 14
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“I am from South Windsor, CT and was teaching my 1st dance class in New Canaan, CT. I was lost, stopped and had my hazard lights on. I explained to the person writing my ticket, as I was in my car, I was lost. Ticket was written and I was told it was too late.”
—$75 for obstructing the crosswalk on Main Street, at 3:54 p.m. on Jan. 26
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“This morning I had to run to train and was not able to pre-pay the parking. I do not live in CT. This was my first time parking at Talmadge Hill, so I was not familiar with the lots and the limited spaces for non-permits. I parked in a permit lot, but then someone said I can’t and told to go up the hill. I returned at 12:05 p.m. and was planning to pay at the station. The officers were sitting in the white minivan. They suggested that I appeal my situation as opposed to pay. We then went through the pre-pay station process and what lot is available for day parking. So I now understand the situation and next time I’m visiting and borrowing my friend’s car, I’ll know the routine. Appreciate the one-time pass.”
—$30 for unpaid space at the Railroad lot, at 10:53 a.m. on Dec. 15
Curious, has anyone ever had their ticket successfully appealed with one of these letters?