MAX
COURIER LIFE, AUG. 2-8, 2019 27
New law to help
city drivers fi ght
parking tickets
PASSED: Councilman Mark Treyger’s bill that allows
drivers to contest parking tickets by taking photos of
illegible signage passed in the City Council.
File photo by Steve Solomonson
BY ROSE ADAMS
Call it a sign of progress!
City legislators
passed a law on Tuesday
that gives drivers
a new defense against
parking violations by
outlining clear guidelines
for submitting
photos of faded, damaged,
or missing signs
when fighting tickets.
Coney Island Councilman
Mark Treyger
— who introduced the
bill that passed with
47 votes in favor and
one abstention — said
current rules that govern
parking disputes
are ill-defined when it
comes to inadequate
signage, and leave drivers
at a disadvantage
in situations where the
city is often to blame.
“Residents don’t
know what the parking
regulation is, and
get hit with a ticket
due to the city’s lack
of maintenance,” said
Treyger. “My bill will
resolve a frustration
for residents that receive
a parking ticket
when there’s illegible
signage.”
To claim legal defense,
drivers will have
to send in photos showing
both sides of the
sign, as well as pictures
of the street to prove
that no other signage
was present or legible.
Motorists are already
allowed to contest
parking tickets due
to illegible signage, but
the process is murky,
according to Maria
Henderson, a spokeswoman
for Treyger,
who said that, while
the Department of Finance
has the power
to shoot down tickets
where drivers offered
busted signs as evidence,
the standards
for such a defense are
left unexplained, leading
to puzzling and
seemingly arbitrary
decisions.
Treyger hopes that,
in addition to establishing
better standards
for fighting parking
tickets, his bill will put
pressure on Transit officials
to replace damaged
markings.
“DOT must maintain
its infrastructure
and make sure parking
signage is available
and clear,” said Treyger.
“It is a common
sense solution to holding
the DOT responsible
for upholding the
infrastructure of our
city.”
Drivers can start
bombarding the city
with pictures of broken
signs when Treyger’s
new law takes effect
in November.