The following ticket appeals letters were written over the past month by motorists fined by enforcement officers in the New Canaan Parking Bureau. We are including excerpts from their letters as well as information where and when they were fined, and for what violation.
***
I wish to appeal the parking ticket I received this morning on the basis that I was parked in a green space charging the car. Please post a notice on the charger if people should pay for the parking spot while plugged in so this is clear.
—$20 for unpaid space at Morse Court, 9:06 a.m. on June 13
Taken on Forest Street on June 16. Contributed
***
I was at [a business] on Burtis Avenue. Today I was on my way to move my car when I saw I was just about to get a ticket. I got to my car before the ticket was even on my vehicle. This was very frustrating, that I was right there to move my car, especially on my birthday! If I was only seconds faster, I wouldn’t have a ticket. I hope this ticket can be appealed. I am always extremely aware and move my car after 90 minutes.
—$20 for overtime parking on Burtis Avenue, 11:39 a.m. on May 14.
***
I parked in a loading zone by accident for literally 5 minutes while I ran into the health food store for medicine for my son. My mother was in the front passenger seat of the running car. She could have moved the car. The parking officer who wrote the ticket felt bad after she realized my mother was in the car. She did not see my mother.
—$30 for loading zone on South Avenue at 2:41 p.m. on May 27
***
I am appealing the ticket since it was written in less than five minutes of my paid parking expiring and the obstruction ticket since my car was barely on the line due to the car next to mine being parked too closely. I have not received a ticket before and try to park there frequently to patronize businesses in our town. [A parking enforcement officer] had just put the ticket on my car when I walked up.
—$20 for unpaid space and $30 for obstructing two spaces at Morse Court at 11:50 a.m. on May 12.
***
Please remove this ticket. I work at [an Elm Street business] in town. I went out two times to move my car to lot and a large black truck with no one in it was blocking my car. I could not stand around and wait as I was working.
—$20 for overtime parking on Elm Street at 12:21 p.m. on June 15
***
I came to New Canaan from Bridgeport for the library book sale. I pulled into a lot and walked across the street to the sale. When I got back, the lady was giving me a ticket.
—$20 for unpaid space at Morse Court at 1:08 p.m. on June 12
***
On Thursday May 28 I had parked on Elm Street in front of [a restaurant], where I work, and a customer walked away with my keys. I had parked on Elm Street because I had a delivery to make at 10 a.m. to Stamford. I called and spoke with someone over the phone and told them I had lost my keys and was looking for them. I was told to put a note on my car saying I had lost my keys, which I did once I got back from the delivery. But in the meantime, I received two parking tickets, one for $20, and then a second ticket for $40. I was hoping that I could contest these tickets. I called a locksmith and had them come make a new key but they did not arrive right away. Please let me know if there is anything I can do.
—$20 for overtime parking at Elm Street at 10:55 a.m. on May 28 and $40 for second violation at 12:52 p.m.
***
Last Thursday I was driving down Forest Street to deliver to Tequila Mockingbird for my father’s produce company. Unfortunately, there was a car already parked in the loading zone and I spoke to the woman who owned the car and she agreed to move. I put my hazards on as I was not in an actual parking spot nor was I parked. I was in drive with my brakes on waiting for her to reverse out of the loading zone when a New Canaan parking authority came up to my van and told me I was illegally parked in a handicapped parking spot. I told her what was going on, as the woman was pulling out of the loading zone and the parking authority witnessed it. She told me she has to give me the ticket because she already wrote it, but to appeal it as it was a huge misunderstanding and I have always obey the laws of your town. I hope you accept this appeal letter and that my $100 ticket will be forgiven.
—$100 for handicapped zone on Forest Street at 10:09 a.m. on May 21
The fact that the Parking Commission is willing to release these letters seems more for the purpose of mocking then informational.
To me it seems like a real breech of trust to those earnestly writing in an honest attempt to appeal their summonses.
Perhaps the Parking Commission should look closer at how inconvenient that they make parking in New Canaan. The parking meters are a joke. They work about half the time and for the uninitiated it’s almost impossible to figure how to operate them.If it’s a bright sunny day the glare makes the meters almost unreadable. On a busy day the meters are six or seven deep and it could take up to 10 minutes to pay. Maybe the Parking Commission should dedicate a Saturday to monitoring the meters so they can see what people go through.
If you happen to put in the wrong space number forget it. You’re out of luck. No way to change it. Even if you put the receipt on your car with a note showing that you paid for a space you will still get a ticket. If you appeal it to the Parking Commission showing that you paid, your appeal will be rejected. Easier to start from scratch and pay twice.
Lisa thank you for your comment. To be clear, I proactively request to review the parking ticket appeals letters—they are not simply released by a parking authority. I provide this roundup because of the undeniable parking crunch in New Canaan, and as you note, many of those ticketed for unpaid spaces point to difficulty with the machines. It is not our intention to mock those who are ticketed, and I would note that we not only do not publish the names of those writing these letters, but we also do not publish whether the tickets themselves are upheld or voided, because circumstances specific to each violation and factors such as a driver’s past history all figure into the Parking Commission’s decision, and we simply don’t have the ability to convey all of that in our summary. Thank you again for posting a comment.
Michael I appreciate the visibility that you give to the many issues that otherwise would go unnoticed.
It concerns me that the Parking Commission takes into account “past
history” in rendering appeal decisions. It shows how arbitrary the process is and raises a question of fairness and consistency.
Lisa, one example would be when a letter-writer says “I didn’t know this was a handicapped space and I have never been ticketed in New Canaan” and then a history shows that the person has been ticketed several times for the offense. That is more what I mean. The commission gathers up all the information it can, including what can be gleaned anecdotally from parking enforcement officers, prior to making its decision.
Anecdotes have no place in binding legal decisions which in effect
these are. Again it raises the fairness issue whether real or perceived.