Government

Officials Uphold $150 Ticket for Woman Who Parked in Handicapped Spot

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Town officials last week upheld a $150 ticket for a woman who parked in a handicapped spot at the Post Office on Locust Avenue. 

Anila Tirja described herself to members of the Parking Commission as a nurse from Europe who is unfamiliar with local rules. Even so, Tirja told the Commission at its most recent meeting, on the day in question she had circled the Post Office lot three times and thought it would be OK to park in the designated space so that her friend could run in and pick up an important letter “because the whole line of handicapped it was empty.” 

“Everywhere it was big line,” Tirja told the Commission during an appeal hearing at its Nov. 1 meeting, held in Town Hall. 

“The minute she open the door, she runs away. Her son was in the car, I see a person standing behind my car. We didn’t even have a chance to go out.

Government

Town Officials Puzzled by Low Use of ‘Boxcar’-Designated Parking Spots at St. A’s

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On its busiest day, the mobile app that allows commuters to park in the St. Aloysius Church lot has seen fewer than half of the available spaces taken, officials say. 

It isn’t clear whether the limited use of the Boxcar app reflects lack of demand or awareness, limitations in the mobile service itself, overly high rates, rigid parking habits or something else, officials said during Thursday’s meeting of the Parking Commission. Though use of the St. A’s lot has grown since the Boxcar spaces opened in September with $7 daily rates, “the state lots at $5 fill up first,” First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said during the Commission’s meeting, held at Town Hall. “So at $7 I think it is probably a bit high,” Moynihan said.

Government

Parking Officials Void Ticket for Town Woman Who Overstayed at Morse Court

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A split vote among members of the Parking Commission at a special meeting Tuesday night voided a $25 ticket issued to a New Canaan woman for overtime parking at Morse Court. Sarah Spadaccini told the Commission that on July 27, after she clocked out of her shift at Kiwanis Park, she parked her at Morse Court in a 15-minute zone so that she could pick up her takeout order from Spiga restaurant. She said that her order had already been prepared when she arrived at the restaurant, so all she had to do was pay and then leave. 

“As I was walking out to my car—because I was in the spot closest to Main Street—I could see the man ticketing my car,” she said. “It couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes. I was in and then I was out.

Government

‘Ludicrous’: Parking Officials Uphold $75 Ticket for Fairfield Woman Parked in a Crosswalk 

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The Parking Commission on Tuesday night voted unanimously to uphold a $75 ticket issued to a Fairfield woman who was parked in a crosswalk on Elm Street. 

Patricia Hessel told members of the Commission at a special meeting that on July 6, she parked in downtown New Canaan just before noon to go shopping for her business and when she returned to her vehicle 10 minutes later, she found a ticket on her car. 

“Apparently, I parked in a crosswalk and I did not realize I did,” she told the Commission at its meeting, held in Town Hall. “I’m not from this town. Our town has big white lines [marking the crosswalk]. I did hesitate a bit, but then I got out of the car, I saw the sign and said to myself, ‘I guess it must be OK because [the arrow on the sign] is pointing both ways… But sure enough, I got a ticket.”

Hessel said that she didn’t take a photo of where her car was parked at the time the ticket was issued but went back at a later date and took a photo “to prove my case.” She presented the photo to the Commission as evidence. 

“The big white lines and red bricks [at the crosswalk] didn’t trigger any thoughts?” Commissioner Peter Ogilvie asked. 

Hessel replied “no” and reiterated that she was looking for large, white lines similar to what she’s used to seeing at crosswalks in Fairfield. 

“The [arrow on the] sign looked like it was pointing both ways, so I’m fighting it,” she said. “Believe me, I will never park there again.

Government

‘Ignorance Is an Excuse Under the Law’: Divided Parking Commission Voids New Canaan Woman’s Loading Zone Ticket

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The Parking Commission at its most recent meeting voted 3-2 to void a ticket issued to a New Canaan woman who had parked in a loading zone on Main Street. Elizabeth Zea told the commissioners that when she parked in front of the former Thali building around 9 a.m. on a Saturday in June to get her hair colored, she didn’t see a sign designating the area as a loading zone from 7 to 11 a.m. 

“I was gone for about 90 minutes and when I came back I got a ticket and thought, ‘What did I do?’ ” Zea told the Police Commission at its regular meeting, held July 12 at Town Hall. 

The only signs Zea saw were for two-hour parking from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., she said, and what she eventually discovered to be the loading zone sign was hidden behind a hanging basket. “Those darn hanging baskets,” Chairman Keith Richey said. Zea said that she liked flowers but “I really didn’t see the ‘No Parking’ ” designation. Since that specific loading zone has come up a few times at recent meetings of the Commission, the panel spent some time reviewing the history of its designation.