Forest Hills a hotbed of unfair ticketing

"I live in Forest Hills an area that is continually saturated with Traffic Agents scouring the residential blocks to issue summonses for expired meters. I thought meters were supposed to be used to create turnover for businesses as Bloomberg states, yet, on the blocks along 73rd road to Union Turnpike there are no businesses on the side streets. The entire area is residential apartment buildings. We can not park around the corner as that is the Forest Hills Gardens Private property. While I live in an Apartment building, I have been issued summonses for not moving my car away from the meter after two hours. At 8:01 each morning these agents descend on the residential blocks looking to issue tickets to residents who haven't gotten up at 8:00 am to feed the meters.

What is worse, is that the intersection boxes in the City where they have recently given the Traffic Agents the authority to issue $115 tickets is a set up. I drive to the city and each morning on Park avenue along any of the side streets, the Traffic Agents are hiding behind Vendor Carts and Trucks ready to aggressively ticket anyone whose fender may be sticking out of the box. It is ridiculous to say the ticketing alleviates congestion, if that was the case instead of hiding the agents would stand there and direct traffic to turn to alleviate the congestion.

I also recently received a registration renewal in the mail for the second year in a row that advised to register online or by mail early, each time I have done this which was a minimum of two to three weeks in advance (I tried online and the mail), my registration arrives late and I am issued multiple tickets for failing to display my sticker. when I fight the tickets showing proof that it was mailed in on time and in effect at the time, my tickets are not dismissed as I am told its my fault for not displaying the sticker. I wonder if the sticker purposely arrives late just so I can receive some tickets.

I realize ticketing generates huge revenue, yet this is ridiculous. Bloomberg wants to send the Agents to sensitivity training . why don't we send Bloomberg to sensitivity training and have them issue different directives to the Agents."

Regards,
Cyndi T.


And from the NY Times:

One recent afternoon, I slid into a spot on Queens Boulevard controlled by parking meter No. 417-1003 with a minute left on it. Needing change, I rushed across the street to a tiny bakery to buy three pieces of sugar-free rugelach.

With two quarters in my hand to legalize my relationship with the meter, I loped out of the bakery to find an officer writing a ticket for $35.

I engaged Officer S. Hall in the usual three-pronged, bordering-on-the-nasty argument that New Yorkers have been losing for decades: I just went to get a quarter. … I was gone for a minute. Have a heart.

No, she said, your time was expired.

As I drove away with my ticket, I tried to think of a legal way to get out of paying. I wouldn’t lie. The meter wasn’t broken. I had violated the law. There were no flaws in the information the officer put on the ticket.

But then I thought that the outcome of this story would have been different if a Muni-Meter had held dominion over the same block’s parking spot. Exactly why no Muni-Meters were there, on one of the busiest stretches of Forest Hills, when less bustling blocks nearby had plenty of them, was a mysterious quirk of city planning.

Forest Hills: A somewhat well-off neighborhood which is likely to actually pay its tickets. That's why you're getting hammered. It's not about enforcement, it's about revenue.