Parking Laws: Why you Must Know the Meaning of "No Standing"

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If you understand the meaning of the 3 No's, No Stopping-No Standing-No Parking, a parking ticket warrior will have a very difficult time separating you from your hard earned dough.  Here's why.

In this post, we direct our attention to the second NO, No Standing. As defined in Section 4-01 of Chapter 4 of Title 34 of the Rules of the City of New York, Standing is "(1) The stopping of a vehicle,(2) whether occupied or not, (3) otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in receiving or discharging passengers."  Lets dissect this definition.

(1) The stopping of a vehicle. Stopping is any halting, even momentarily of your vehicle. You can expect to feel the sting of a warrior's scanner, if you feel a sneeze coming on, and pull to the curb in a No Standing zone. The price of safety is $115 for the cost of a parking ticket. How about, "I pulled to the curb in a No Standing zone to answer my cell phone." The price of safety, and to avoid a traffic ticket for talking on your cell phone, is a $115 NYC parking ticket. 

(2) Whether occupied or not. If you pull your vehicle to the curb in a No Standing zone to run into the store for "just two minutes," I promise you will find that dreaded orange envelope under the windshield wiper of your car. You violated the parking laws of NYC for No Standing.

(3) Otherwise than temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in receiving or discharging passengers. I am climbing to the top of Mount Everest, and screaming at the top of my lungs, this is your get out of parking ticket jail free card. Use it wisely.

YOU ARE NOT GUILTY OF STANDING YOUR VEHICLE in a No Standing zone, if you are actively engaged in discharging or receiving a passenger. Ergo, you did not violate the NO Standing law. Again, you can't violate the parking law against No Standing when you stop temporarily (2 minutes or less) to discharge or receive a passenger.

That's too easy, so what's the catch?

I'm glad you asked. The catch is presenting the proper proof properly to beat a parking ticket for standing in a No Standing zone. For example, let's say it is your intention to drop-off your wife at the doctor's office for her 2:00 p.m. appointment, and then run some errands. You pull to the curb in a NO Standing zone, your wife gets out of the car, and walks towards the doctor's office. You immediately activate your turn signal notifying everyone, except the parking ticket warrior standing nearby, you are in the process of re-entering the active roadway. Your motor is running and your foot is on the break ready to leap to the gas pedal to accelerate onto the active roadway. All of this happens in less than 2 minutes. ZAP...in a nano second, you are issued a parking ticket for standing in a No Standing zone. 

You can absolutely, positively beat this parking ticket by presenting the proper proof properly, which is:

• Your Affidavit telling your story under oath
  
• You wife's affidavit telling her story under oath
• A letter from the doctor, on her stationary, confirming your wife's 2:00 p.m. appointment

You win because you are not STANDING while stopped temporarily to actively discharge a passenger. Your get out of parking ticket jail free card trumps the warrior's bad behavior in issuing you a parking ticket knowing full well you did not violate the No Standing parking law.

One very important word of caution. To activate your get out of parking ticket jail free card, you must STOP, DROP and GO. You cannot wait for your passenger's return. You cannot walk your 110 year old Aunt to the corner. You cannot wait to make sure your 2 year old daughter entered your home safely. Why? As the Cheshire Cat said to Alice in the wonderful Lewis Carroll book, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," when describing the inhabitants of Wonderland, "WE ARE ALL CRAZY HERE."

Tell us about your experiences fighting parking tickets because you stopped temporarily to discharge or receive a passenger? Sharing your parking experiences helps all of us 

[Larry's note: The 3 No's is a phrase used by Louis Camporeale in his terrific book, "The New York City Parking Survival Guide."]

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