‘Was Picking Up My Family in the Pouring Rain’: Parking Ticket Appeals

The New Canaan Parking Commission recently received the following appeals letters from ticketed motorists. 

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Parking on Main Street in New Canaan. BT photo

“I would like to appeal for the parking ticket I received on 4/06/23 for $75. I was working when I received the ticket. I do Doordash food delivery and I was notified that the customer’s order was ready for pickup at Greenology in New Canaan. When I got there I could not find any available parking spots. Originally I parked in a spot when the parking enforcement guy came up next to me and told me I couldn’t park there and I explained that I was picking up something from Greenology. I moved my car and circled around twice and there still weren’t any spots available. I had no choice but to park my car in front of a fire hydrant. I parked with my hazards on for not even a minute to pick up the customers order I got struck with a $75 bill. The same person that I told I needed to just pick up an order was the same person to wait for me to walk into the store and ticket me. I do Doordash as a full time job and to receive a $75 ticket for an order that I only got paid $7.87 for is a big deal for someone like me. I do not make more than $300 a week doing this and it would be a burden for me to have to pay $75 out of my paycheck as I have other bills and gas to pay for. If you could appal the ticket it would help me tremendously and I will not take the risk anymore parking in no parking zones. Thank you.”

—Norwalk resident, $75 for obstructing fire hydrant on April 6

Parking enforcement officer’s report: “On the above date I observed a vehicle parked in the ‘no parking zone.’ I asked the driver to move to a legal space. I then wrote a ticket in the 15 minute zone. After writing the ticket on Main St I turned around to go towards Elm St. In the process, I saw a vehicle parked in front of a hydrant on Forest.”

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Parking in the Park Street/Playhouse Lot alley in New Canaan. BT photo

“On April 26, 2023 at approximately 1:50 PM, I parked in a 15-minute zone and returned at 1:54 PM to receive this citation. I clearly thought I was in the right, as I was parked right behind and in the requested spot. On the citation, I see that my back end was encroaching the crosswalk. It seems, both facts are true and unless you have a tiny car, any car that parks at the sign will be in violation, which is not the Town’s intent. As such I am requesting that the Town dismiss the Citation. Thank you very much for your consideration and for what it’s worth, my record is spotless and have never received any points against my license.”

—$80 for obstructing a crosswalk at 1:54 p.m. on April 26 on Main Street (New York resident)

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Parking on Main Street in New Canaan. BT photo

“Was not parked -> was picking up my family in the pouring rain. My family went to Elm for lunch at 11am. We were parked legally a few streets away. After lunch I walked to the car and drove back to the restaurant. As it was raining hard and I didn’t want to make them walk in the cold, windy, and rainy weather. I stopped in front of Elm, put my hazards on and brought my umbrella to the door. In Elm I helped my son (8) put his jacket on as he has a broken arm. My wife gathered my daughter (6) and we went back out to the car where a ticket was being issued (it was not complete when we got back out). I left the car for 80-90 seconds to gather my kids and help my son w/ a newly broken arm. 

—$35 for no parking zone on Elm Street, at 12:48 p.m. on April 29 (New Canaan resident)

Police officer’s report: “Around 12:42, [the parking enforcement officer] and I were both driving down Elm Street. We observed two parking violations in front of Dunkin Donuts and Le Pain Quotidien. I exited my patrol vehicle in front of Le Pain and began issuing the ticket for being parked in a no parking area. The vehicle I approached ended up havin ga handicapped sticker so no ticket was issued. I then approached [the parking enforcement officer’s] vehicle to assist. He had left a ticket on a white Mercedes-Benz with CT Registration [number]. We were then preparing to leave the area when a male and female approached [[the parking enforcement officer’s] vehicle. The female had what appeared to be a take-out bag in her hand. They began to yell at [the parking enforcement officer] and tell him ‘you can’t do that.’ [The parking enforcement officer] explained the ticket had already been issued. They argued that they had only been inside for 90 seconds and had a son with a broken arm. The vehicle was unoccupied and off. We did not observe any children with them. We explained to the couple we had been in the area for at least 4 minutes and they were not allowed to park their vehicle there. They continued to argue back at [the parking enforcement officer] and I and the male demanded I ‘take it back’ referring to the ticket. I again explained that they were parked in a no parking area and that they would be receiving the ticket. The female then yelled that her son was disabled. I asked if they had a handicapped sticker and she said no. I said that even if they have a handicapped sticker they could still not park there and must follow the parking rules. The male was still yelling at us, and told me it was not part of my job description as a police officer to issue parking tickets. I explained that wasn’t the cas. He yelled ‘my tax dollars pay for your job.’ I said okay, and part of my job is to issue tickets. They continued to argue and would not move away from [the parking enforcement officer’s] vehicle. I asked them to step away so that [the parking enforcement officer] could leave. I further stated they had a right to fight the ticket. They said they would and that they would reach out to my chief to complain. I said that was fine.”