New Yorkers finally have the one thing they've always wanted - more time.
Five minutes more.
As of 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning, a controversial new law grants that extra 300-second cushion to move your car for alternate-side parking or from an expired Muni meter before getting slapped with a ticket.
Five Minutes of Mercy for Alternate-Side Parking Takes Effect
New Yorkers finally have the one thing they’ve always wanted – more time.
Five minutes more.
As of 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning, a controversial new law grants that extra 300-second cushion to move your car for alternate-side parking or from an expired Muni meter before getting slapped with a ticket.
“It’s not going to end the recession, but it gives people a little bit of a break in a tough time,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who faced off with Mayor Bloomberg over the grace period.
Bloomberg warned that the law would lead to “nothing but chaos” as fights spring up between drivers and ticket agents over whose watch to use. The City Council unanimously over-rode the mayor’s veto, wanting to put an end to “gotcha” tickets.
“Other cities have this [grace period] and it has not proven to be chaotic,” Quinn said. “It’s a nice and appropriate amount of latitude to give New Yorkers in a place where we all know it’s not easy to park.”
Of 10 million tickets issued in fiscal year 2008, 276,000 were written within five minutes of alternate-side parking restrictions going into effect.
Council analysts say the new bill won’t cost the cash-strapped city any money: Plenty of people will still get tickets after the six-minute mark.
The city recently hired scores of new traffic enforcement agents.
free 5 min?
does this mean we can park 5 min for free w/o putting money in the meter? or only if we have already put in money?
Not gonna help the procrastinators
So now we will all run out to move our cars at 11:10 instead of 11:05! It’s human nature to take every extension given. Long Fridays…more proof of the same. You had an extra hour to prepare for Shabbos this week, but were you ready any earlier? Nah, me either.
???
How do they know if it’s been 5 minutes?
thanks!
I really like this – I got countless tickets because of a tedious minute or two.
the picture
Why is there a ticket by a failed meter?