Question on Parking Laws

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

Today I went to the post office with my mom and had her drop me off in front. She was at a no parking area by the sidewalk with the engine and blinker both on waiting for me. I was in and out and when I walked out there was a Police Officer who I thought was looking at my moms plate. The lady kept her head down writing what I presume now to be a ticket. She started walking towards the side of the car where my mom was and I kind of yelled at a low tone "Hey hold on!" (Maybe she didn't hear me, I suck at "situations") And I got into the car. We looked at her by my mom's window for about 3 seconds and she didn't once look or say anything to us so I told my mom to drive away. We left and she still didn't look or say anything to us.

Was I wrong to assume it is ok to park in a no parking spot as long as the engine is running and the blinker is on? Was she wrong to start ticketing my mom, if that's even what she was doing, without telling her to move the car first?

well, if you get a ticket in the mail that says you drove off, you'll know. Or you can call the dmv and run your plate for outstanding tickets.

"No Parking" means JUST THAT...

NO PARKING.

The officer was well within the law to start writing up a ticket.

But doesn't the car running and being occupied change things at all?

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
But doesn't the car running and being occupied change things at all?

Not really... there's usually a reason for it being no parking.

Maybe it's a fire lane, walking area, etc.

right, but say it was a fire line and a fire truck was coming to use it. My mother could easily and quickly have left since she was in the car with it running, thus not impeding the use of the area.

What about this, You can get a DUI if you are drunk with your keys in the ignition even if the car is stopped, so conversely, shouldn't a "parked car" have the requirement of no keys in the ignition?

I don't think you really understand the law. Sure it's convenient for you to stop in a No Parking zone even if you're going to be "right back". The police don't know that, nor do they care. You're illegaly parked, even if you are in the car. You are parked, and it's an illegal zone. However, if you tuck and rolled in that area, without parking in the no parking zone, maybe you have an argument. But either way, let me reiterate. You were parked in a no parking zone. It doesn't matter if you're car's running, with blinkers, sitting on Dubs with Paris Hilton driving. Parked in a No Parking zone. Clear enough?

Actually I believe that being stopped to the side in the car with the engine running is called "Standing," not parked. Is standing in no parking area illegal? Probably, but I would like to know for sure in some sort of legal document or straight from a Police Officer(I know, I should have asked the woman writing the ticket but I choked.) I'm pretty sure I've always heard people say that it's ok to do what I was doing, the same way that everyone is telling me now in this thread that it isn't. Not to discredit anyone's post because I do appreciate it, but who is absolutely sure that they've read the law somewhere that states that standing is illegal in no parking spot?

This is from the new york state dmv web site, I'm in CT, so I can't say that it applies, but it's something to help my case. Also we were actually stopped in front of a fire hydrant:

PARKING REGULATIONS

What people generally understand as "parking" is legally divided into three categories: parking, standing and stopping.

A NO PARKING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers.

A NO STANDING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload passengers.

A NO STOPPING sign means you may stop only in order to obey a traffic sign, signal or officer, or to avoid conflicts with other vehicles.

Besides posted parking, standing and stopping rules, there are statewide rules not always indicated by signs:
Parking, standing or stopping is not allowed:

* Within 15 feet (5 m) of a fire hydrant, unless a licensed driver remains in the vehicle to move it in an emergency.

* On the road side of a parked vehicle ("double parking").

* On a sidewalk or in a crosswalk.

* In an intersection, unless permitted by signs or parking meters.

* On railroad tracks.

* Alongside or opposite road excavations, construction or other obstructions if your vehicle would block traffic.

* Within 30 feet (10 m) of a pedestrian safety zone, unless another distance is marked.

* On a bridge or in a tunnel.

http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/dmanual/chapter07-manual.htm

So looks like it is probably NOT illegal and I may be right. (I started writing the thread and found that new york dmv link halfway through.)

Is that "Clear enough?" (Sorry for the sass but you guys jumped on me pretty good )

This should further your acknowledgement of your error. As it states,

Quote:

A NO PARKING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers.

Your mom unloaded you, waited, and then loaded you. Note the and, not the or, as a pose to the law as written above. In the fire hydrant case, they are referring to the general parking law which says that you may not park within 15 ft of a fire hydrant. This is different from a Fire Lane/No Parking zone. Those zones are designated that way not necessarily because of a close proximity fire hydrant, but because of it's close proximity to a high traffic location where they would need pre-designated area to setup.

I accept your response as it does make sense and I appreciate you explaining it that way to me. Although the "or" thing still trips me up. It doesn't say that the or is exclusive!(Last ditch effort at symantics) Also, I almost equate my scenario to speeding. Yes, 5mph over the speed limit is illegal, but cops let it go. 30mph over the speed limit is equally illegal, but cops probably won't let that go. 3 minutes in a no parking spot with the driver in the car vs 30 minutes in a no parking spot with no one there. I realize it doesn't absolve the offender of breaking the law but I think most people would be upset for getting a +5mph ticket...I guess this has turned in to more of a rant than a search for the law, sorry...man I thought I had won it in that nydmv thread

NO PARKING IS NO PARKING!!!!

kinda like NO MEANS NO!!!

i mean if your that worried about getting a ticket maybe you should have gotten your mom to pull over somewhere else?

It's not the ticket, it's the principle! I think it's still a little vague. From that ny driver's manual, you are indeed allowed to stop at a no parking spot. I could make the argument "How long is too long to wait for picking someone up" but I imagine they mean immediately. I would rather not imagine though. Who would I call to talk to and find out more about this? Department of transportation?

I don't like to take things so quickly just because someone told me so. Off topic but I think it's a good story. In high school we had girls play on our boy's soccer team in the boy's league because there was no girls team even though there was a girls league. Well I made a big stink about it and saw what I could do about joining the girl's volleyball team(no men's team.) Some of the coaches told me I couldn't but I pushed and got the Athletic Director to tell me I had every right to. I wouldn't have done it but I liked knowing that I could.

lol so your just a little sh!t disturber eh!

Hey you don't know what it's like to be the laughing stock of the league with girls on your bench in uniform! Also we sucked and that didn't help either.

If you're in Conneticut, who cares if the NY DMV supports your case or not. You're in CT!!

Conneticut DMV

Well, I brought up the NY thing because it was the first instance I found stating laws about parking, standing, and stopping and their differences. It's not THAT cut and dry. I also went on to look at the ct dmv driver's manual and it doesn't even mention anything about standing or stopping. Just "Don't park where it says 'No Parking' ." Much less ambiguous than the ny dmv pdf

Conneticut Motor Vehicle Laws.

Ch. 249, Sec. 14-307:

" (c) No person shall park any vehicle in any place where parking is prohibited or park any vehicle for a longer period than that indicated as lawful by any sign erected "

If the sign said "NO Parking", then, it was kind of foolish to stop and wait there...even for only a few minutes. Once the vehicle pulled into the space and stopped, it was then "PARKING."

What part of "NO PARKING" are you having trouble with?

Where did you find that? I was looking for a listing of motor vehicle laws that weren't just a driver's manual for people about to get their license.

Also, I don't think my posting of this was that ridiculous. I wanted to discuss it with people who are probably more knowledgeable of the law than I. I truly thought that being stopped to the side with the driver still in the car was a seperate state from being stopped without the driver which is actually true in some areas (Not mine apparently, I KNOW! Enough with the "what don't you get about NO posts.") Thank you for the informative responses.

Originally posted by hairhorn:
What part of "NO PARKING" are you having trouble with?

I would say the "parking" because according to the drivers handbook (here in IL anyway) "parking" only defines a car that is in park and turned off. Standing, which is different than parking is when the car is in park but is still running.

Originally posted by hotdimmes:
Where did you find that? I was looking for a listing of motor vehicle laws that weren't just a driver's manual for people about to get their license.

Here's the search link for the Connecticut General Statutes: http://search.cga.state.ct.us/ linky I did a quick search and didn't find any definition of "parking" as distinct from "standing" or "stopping" but I didn't spend a lot of time on it either.

Scott

What was the valid reason for not just pulling into a parking space like a considerate person?

People who wait for people in No Parking zones piss me off. Go get a parking space!

Here's what I found: (section 2B.39 a little under halfway down the page)

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/HTM/2003/part2/part2b3.htm

Next time your mother going to drop you off at a no parking zone have her drive EXTREMELY slow. This wont be counted as parking! lol

Originally posted by hairhorn:

What part of "NO PARKING" are you having trouble with?

I think the trouble he is having with NO PARKING is the fact that his mom WAS NOT PARKED.

" The word "standing" when used on the R7 and R8 series of signs refers to the practice of a driver keeping the vehicle in a stationary position while continuing to occupy the vehicle."

I actually agree with what you say in your first post, your mother should not have been in a position to get a NO PARKING violation, since she wasn't parked.