Government

Town Upholds $150 Ticket Issued to Driver Who Illegally Used Disabled Space in Private Lot

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Parking officials last week upheld a $150 ticket issued to a delivery driver using a disabled space in a private lot on Pine Street. The Parking Commission during its regular meeting April 7 voted 4-0 to uphold the ticket, given to a driver in the heavily used Pine Street Concessions lot. Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg said at the meeting that disabled spaces fall under state statutes, including those in private lots “so we are allowed to go in there and ticket anybody who dos not have a handicapped permit and is parked in a handicapped space in a private lot.”

“And in addition, that particular area we get several complaints that people just utilize that spot as a regular spot and do not leave it open for people who need it, so it’s monitored on a regular basis,” Miltenberg said at the meeting, held via videoconference. 

Chair Laura Budd and Commissioners Nancy Bemis, Drew Magratten and Marley Thackray voted to uphold the ticket. The driver himself did not appear at the hearing. He said in a written appeal that he’d only been in the space for five minutes, the Commission said.

Government

Town Upholds $150 Ticket Issued to Truck Driver Who Parked in Disabled Space

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Town officials this month upheld a $150 ticket issued to a Norwalk resident who parked a truck in a disabled space on Elm Street. The motorist, Alexander Gil, had received the ticket at 11:12 a.m. on Jan. 21 (a Friday). In an appeal letter sent to the Parking Commission, Gil said he parked with hazard lights on for about one minute while trying to make a delivery. During a March 10 appeal hearing before the Commission, Gil’s supervisor at work—a man who identified himself only as ‘Diego’—said that it’s difficult to park a large truck in New Canaan and that there’s a lack of loading zones.

Government

Parking Commission Voids $30 Ticket Issued for Loading Zone Violation on Elm Street 

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Members of the Parking Commission at their most recent meeting voided a $30 ticket issued to a local business owner who had parked in a loading zone on Elm Street. Pam Alberino of New Canaan Ski & Sport told the Commission during an appeal hearing last month that she was using the loading zone properly at the time she received the ticket—a characterization that is at odds with the head of the Parking Bureau. “I was unloading my truck and putting stuff into my truck because there is no places for me to load and my back parking lot was also filled,” Alberino said during gate Feb. 7 hearing, held via videoconference. “So I had to walk and unload it and when I came back out to put some stuff in the car, I had a ticket and it was like 9:59 or 9:58.

Government

Town Upholds $150 Parking Ticket Issued for Blocking Disabled Space

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Town officials this month upheld a $150 ticket issued to a Norwalk woman who had blocked a disabled space on Main Street while picking up a large item purchased at a local store. Clara Cohen told members of the Parking Commission that she didn’t realize she was blocking a space on the afternoon of Jan. 4 (a Tuesday) when she pulled up in front of the store near East Avenue for about two minutes with her flashers on. Cohen had paid to park in a municipal lot while doing her shopping that day, she told the Commission during a Feb. 7 appeal hearing, held via videoconference. 

“There was a mail truck right in front of the store and I don’t want to block that, so I pulled up a little more,” she said. 

“I didn’t realize blocking a handicapped spot.

Parking Commission Upholds $50 Ticket Issued to Starbucks Worker Who Parked the Wrong Way on Elm Street

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Town officials last week voted to uphold a $50 ticket issued to a Starbucks employee who’d backed into an angled parking space on Elm Street. Christopher Diaz told members of the Parking Commission during his Feb. 7 appeal hearing that he had crossed the Starbucks lot and exited onto Elm Street very early on the morning in question (Nov. 3, a Wednesday). 

Then he “backed into the spot, always the very first spot” by the coffee shop, Diaz said during the hearing, held via videoconference. 

“My style is always to back into a spot, that’s something I do wherever I go,” Diaz said. “So I didn’t think twice.