NYC Parking Ticket Trap at Ferry Terminal in Staten Island

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The parking sign with two (2) faces

If you have some extra dough and want a challenge, head out to the St. Georges Staten Island Ferry Terminal and answer the question, "Can I park here?" One passionate member of the NYC driving community did just that, and got zapped with a $95 NYC parking ticket for parking in a "permit parking-only" zone.

Here's the two-faced parking sign:

The front of the parking sign is all smiles. It is a nice shade of blue, and displayes benign imformation about the cost of daily parking.  But on the backside of the sign (not facing the entrance to the parking lot) is an angry red "permit parking-only" sign watching in silence as unwary parkers park in violation of the rule.

The money pit

Here's a link to the excellent CBS report on the action taken by one ambushee, who is fighting his parking ticket out-loud. He took photographs of the two-faced sign to demonstrate the confusing signage, and photographs of numerous cars with NYC parking tickets stuck under the windshield. "Staten Island Communters Cry Foul over Parking Tickets."

Commentary

I have spoken with members of the NYC driving community about the confusing signage in the St. Georges Ferry Terminal, and other large parking areas. However, this two-faced sign takes the cake. Hopefully, the publicity will warn unsuspecting parkers about the lurking danger in the Terminal.

Since there are no arrows on parking signs in large parking areas, how do you determine which parking spaces are regulated by the parking rule displayed on a parking sign? This is a tough one. The general rule is, the parking sign regulates the parking spaces behind the sign. How far? Difficult to say.

My best suggestion is to scout out areas where there is no sign in the vicinity prohibiting parking, or regulating the hours parking is permissible. When you see a "permit parking-only" sign...Beware! Read the sign carefully to make sure it does NOT restrict the entire lot to "permit parking-only."

Does anyone have similar experiences in large parking lots? How do you avoid a parking ticket?

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