NEW YORK — Ticket-happy traffic agents are slapping Big Apple drivers with “unfair” summonses, according to a lawmaker who wants to put the brakes on the orange blizzard.
“Over the last six months, complaints about traffic summonses have surpassed anything else in my office,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.
Councilmen Unhappy With Parking Ticket Blizzard
NEW YORK — Ticket-happy traffic agents are slapping Big Apple drivers with “unfair” summonses, according to a lawmaker who wants to put the brakes on the orange blizzard.
“Over the last six months, complaints about traffic summonses have surpassed anything else in my office,” said City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.
“The way traffic agents are enforcing the law is absolutely out of control.”
One complaint came from John Panagiotopoulos, 32, a Queens cafe owner hit with a $135 fine for double parking — while he was waiting for another car to pull away from a meter.
“I was not blocking traffic,” Panagiotopoulos said. “I was in the car, the car was on. All of a sudden, this agent came in front of my car and extended his arm to give me a ticket. It was very aggressive and really unfair.” Adding insult to injury, he lost the spot.”
My customers are experiencing the same thing,” said Panagiotopoulos, who paid the ticket. “They pull over for a few seconds to pick up food and they get a $120 ticket. It’s hurting business, it’s hurting the people.”
Vallone is considering legislation that would give drivers a grace period to briefly pull into no-standing areas. He called the legislation “a last resort.”
WhyMe
Ive got over $700 worth of alternate side parking tickets in the last few months on my block. Not because I don’t move my car, I do. It’s because I dont move my car BACK at the exact moment alternate side parking ends and the double parking tickets are $135 dollars each. They are aggressive, rude, and they speed from block to block to give out as many tickets as possible. In some cases they have two cars per block giving out tickets. This is what we are spending our money on in taxes? 2 traffic agents driving up each block giving out tickets a minute past the time to move the car comes?
Very very unimpressed!!
I had a car full of kids, and as my husband pulled out of his parking spot from kingston, I realized the passenger door was wide open, so in a panic I told him to quickly pull over, he carefully pulled over, 3 seconds later we hear sirens and get pulled over for “not signaling”. we were treated like criminals, I went out to close the door and was told very rudely “get back in the car miss, or I can shoot you” they kept us there for 45 minutes before letting us go, with screaming babies in the back!! …is this a safety measure..????
ch res
just got ont this week while my wife pulled over on kingston to let me out – $115 FOR WHAT ??? she said double parking i told her she didnt even park she just stopped for a second…on deaf ears….
Resigned New Yorker
Ive already learned from experience…its more worth it sometimes to just not move the car at all and keep it on the “wrong” side of the street…that tickets only $45!!
Double jepardy?
After I got a ticket for double parking I stuck my head out my car window and shouted at the cop “I can’t take it any more!”
Then he came back and gave me a second ticket for an expired inspection sticker.
to Spoiled CH
Most of these comments are about real “UNFAIR” tickets.
out of the few tickets i got
1 was TOTALY FAKE (made up!!).
1 at a BROKEN “expired” meter.
You should all be HAPPY – at least you got tickets for “double parking” when you DID double park!
TICKET SUCKERS
YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT ALL THIS RIDICULOUS TICKETING WILL CONTINUE AS LONG AS OUR GOOD FRIEND BLOOMBERG IS IN OFFICE. ANYONE WHO VOTES FOR HIM SHOULD NOT COMPLAIN LATER.