Drew Magratten

Town Forgives $150 Ticket Issued to Woman Who Parked in Disabled Space at Starbucks

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Saying that the disabled space in the Starbucks lot is misplaced and poorly marked, officials this month voided a $150 ticket issued to a woman who’d parked there. The Parking Commission during its Jan. 3 meeting voted 4-0 to void the ticket that Ashley Gonzalez received on Nov. 6 (a Monday). Gonzalez told members of the appointed body that she pulled into the lot in a panic because her mother fainted in the passenger seat.

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Town Upholds $150 Ticket Issued to Woman Who Parked in Disabled Space [UPDATE]

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Town officials this month upheld a $150 ticket issued to a Bedford, N.Y. woman who parked in a disabled space while running into a store downtown. During her Aug. 2 appeal hearing before the Parking Commission, [the woman] said she’d circled for about 25 minutes before finally pulling into a disabled space on Elm Street in order to return an item to the WAVE store on behalf of her daughter. “The only spot that was there was right in front of the store and it was a handicapped parking spot,” [the woman] said during the hearing, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “I pulled in, turned my hazards on, left my car on and told my daughter to wait for me as I ran in.

Government

Parking Commission Voids $30 Ticket Issued to Local Man

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Town officials this month voided a $30 ticket issued to a local man who recently switched back to commuting out of the New Canaan station after riding trains out of Noroton Heights for more than 10 years. In his written appeal letter to the Parking Commission, Ben Merrill noted that he’s “still getting used to the Pay-for-Parking program” in New Canaan. “In particular, two items are different,” Merrill said in the letter, discussed by the Commission at its March 1 meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “1. The Noroton Heights app has my license plate stored and the ticket checker just looks at that, there is no space number required, 2.

Government

Parking Commission Voids $25 Ticket Issued to Elm Street Motorist

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Saying it had been a long time since parking enforcement officers issued their last verbal warning to her, town officials last week voided a $25 ticket issued to a woman who overstayed her time on Elm Street. 

Under New Canaan’s parking regulations, motorists approaching what is now a 2-hour time limit for the free spaces downtown cannot simply move their vehicle to a different area of the same street to reset that timer. If someone is not aware of the rule, “we try to educate them, usually the first ticket around, because it is not posted anywhere other than in the town ordinance,” according to Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg. Yet in the case of Lara Tiramani of Bridgeport, she was made aware of that when she similarly overstayed a space in 2016, Miltenberg said during the Dec. 8 regular meeting of the Parking Commissioner. Tucker Murphy, administrative officer for the town and a guest at the meeting, said the purpose of the rule is to ensure the free spaces serve those who wish to patronize downtown business and restaurants rather than those who work in those places.

Government

Town: Parking Permit Renewals Down As Commuters Wait-and-See

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Demand for commuter parking lots near the Metro-North Railroad line is still in flux and remains low overall compared to pre-COVID figures, officials say, as New Canaan residents try to figure out whether it makes sense to purchase an annual permit or use daily pay spaces as needed. On a given Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, lots such as the Lumberyard downtown are at least two-thirds full—less so on Mondays and Fridays, according to Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg. Yet renewals for permits are down this year as increasing number of permit-holders ask to be listed on a “deferral list” that allows them to put off a decision until next summer, Miltenberg told members of the Parking Commission at their regular meeting last week. It’s unclear “how often people are commuting,” Miltenberg said at the Oct. 6 meeting, held via videoconference.