Should I dispute this ticket?

[orange7]

So i got the most bs ticket ever, at least in my opinion.

here is what happened in order

-parked at a parking meter spot at ncix to pick up a video card.
-put in a 25 cent as there were still a few mins left from the previous person.
-walked into ncix and took a number to wait to talk to a representative
-I was number 8, and they were only serving number 1
-finally reached me pretty fast since numbers 3-5 weren't there
-I got my pick up number for ANOTHER line up to get the item handed to me
-I didn't expect to wait in another long line up so I decided to run outside to put in 2 more quarters in the parking meter just to be safe.
-I saw the officer at my car.
-It was too late as she had sent the ticket to city hall
-I showed her my pick up order paper, and I wasn't carrying the item yet. I also showed her the 2 quarters I had in the palm of my hands (not in my wallet)
-She told me there isn't anything that she could do, and she walked away.
-I still paid with the 2 quarters and i went back into ncix to pick up my order.

apparently, my meter passed the 2 extra mins hence I got the ticket. However, I believe it only passed the 2 min mark by 30 secs to 60 secs at most. I was sorta keeping an estimated time with my cell phone, but I have no solid proof on this one.

Is this disputable? Should I even bother disputing the fact that I was being a loyal citizen? I'm actually not angry about the $35. I am more angry at the fact that I actually paid and was intentionally going to pay for more before I got the ticket.

I'm pretty sure she would remember this situation, as I told her to remember this because I may dispute.

I don't want to waste time going to court for $35. It's just not worth it. However, I feel that I didn't deserve it.


What do you rs ppl think?

take the $35 out of the equation and only look at ticket vs my dissatisfaction of this whole situation.

[orange7]

btw, i'm going to pay for it on monday as it is only $35. However, I still feel the urge to dispute it to get the satisfaction that I want.


Is it still disputable after I've paid the ticket?

[CRS]

Just pay it.

There is no cause for a dispute here.

[orange7]

Originally Posted by CRS

Just pay it.

There is no cause for a dispute here.

thanks (apparently, I can't give thanks anymore in the police forum)

will do..

I guess I will just put my satisfaction aside since it's the city vs me, and I can't prove anything without evidence.

[orange7]

k.. ticket is paid..

but it still sucks how all this happened so quickly.

[Jgresch]

I know its a bad example, but it doesn't matter if the red light was red for 1 second or 1 minute. Its still a red.

JUst like they don't care if you were over by 1 minute or 1 hour. As far as they're concernced you didn't pay for being parked there.

[orange7]

okay.. i know i mailed in my ticket with a cheque already, but i just realized something when i was walking to my car after watching ufc.

I remember on the ticket it said something about parking meter showing four 0's. However, i just remembered my parking meter only had a blinking red Expired. I remember this really clearly because I double checked my parking meter before talking to the officer.

Furthermore, I remember first seeing the officer standing at the REAR of my car in front of my parking meter. She stood there quite a while since I didn't scream at her while running across and down the street.

I had no idea why she was waiting at my parking meter while the ticket was already placed on my windshield.

However, now i have a feeling she wrote the ticket while i still had very very little time (maybe 1 min left?), and she decided to wait for it to expire even though she had wrote the ticket. But I caught her just in time, yet she may not have wanted to admit fault for writing my ticket too early.


can anyone please clarify how the parking meter system work?

is there a 2 min thing after your parking meter had expired? Maybe that is what she was waiting for??


what's the difference between four 0's and a red blinking expired?

[orange7]

if it's really not my fault, I am more than willing to spend over $100 on gas, parking fees, and my time investment just to go to city hall to talk to the representatives and then go to court.

again, it's not the money thing.

it's the feeling of knowing i was right, yet she said i was wrong.


at least i think i was right... as long as one of you tell me I'm wrong.. then i will end this.

[jlenko]

Aside from the expired meter issue... which is, alone, a ticketable reason..

Repeat metering is also prohibited.. so if you plugged it once, you're not supposed to plug it again. You're supposed to move along..

[orange7]

Originally Posted by jlenko

Repeat metering is also prohibited.. so if you plugged it once, you're not supposed to plug it again. You're supposed to move along..

really? even though my first time plugging the meter wasn't all the way to the max possible time limit?

[Bainne]

This your first Vancouver city parking ticket? (or was I guess)

They typically give you a "get out of jail" freebie if you phone in and are reallly nice and explain your situation. I believe it is on a license plate by license plate basis, because I have had them drop it for two of my different cars

jlenko - you do realize that the city encourages you to top up your parking meter with their new cell phone service if your time is running out right? In fact they will send you a text message to remind you it is running out. Which bylaw would your "repeat metering" fall under exactly?

[jlenko]

Originally Posted by orange7

really? even though my first time plugging the meter wasn't all the way to the max possible time limit?

How is the meter reader supposed to know that? And how are you going to prove that?

Originally Posted by Bainne

This your first Vancouver city parking ticket? (or was I guess)

They typically give you a "get out of jail" freebie if you phone in and are reallly nice and explain your situation. I believe it is on a license plate by license plate basis, because I have had them drop it for two of my different cars

That "get out of one parking ticket free" program ended in October last year.

Originally Posted by Bainne

jlenko - you do realize that the city encourages you to top up your parking meter with their new cell phone service if your time is running out right? In fact they will send you a text message to remind you it is running out. Which bylaw would your "repeat metering" fall under exactly?

Read the sticker on the parking meter, I'm sure the bylaw number is there. Maybe Vancouver changed it since I last parked there (this was before text messages..). If there's no sticker or sign, then repeat metering is permitted after all. I could be wrong, it's been known to happen

[Eff-1]

You can park at a meter up to the time limit indicated on the meter. Usually it's two hours. After two hours, you have to leave the space.

You can continue putting money in the meter as many times as you want, as long as you don't park in that space longer than two hours total.

[orange7]

Originally Posted by Bainne

This your first Vancouver city parking ticket? (or was I guess)

yup.

I always read stuff on RS about Vancouver city parking ticket, so I always pay for my parking when I'm on public road.

Kinda sucks that I've been paying for all my vancouver city parking, and I still can't avoid getting a ticket by doing so.

[obselete]

I would advise you to just pay it............

[winson604]

LOL I get calls like this all the time. I always advise people on the phone the pros and cons of disputing a ticket where they were in fact in violation.

#1 call the ticket inquiry line and see if they will cancel. Sometimes you might luck out but you got nothing to lose. 604 257 8732

#2 If they say no remember this. Once you dispute the ticket you are disputing the ticket at it's full amount which is $70. If you lose you will owe that amount. Just pay the $35 discount price as your chances of winning are probably slim. Of course this all depends on the judge but why bother. On top of that you gotta come in person to City Hall to dispute which for some you might need to take time off, then take time off again perhaps to go to court. The court date in addition is also like 1 year later. I know I know people always say it's the principal but your call buddy.

[cho]

Originally Posted by obselete

I would advise you to just pay it............

i'd fail you but i cant

he already paid it.

[orange7]

Originally Posted by obselete

I would advise you to just pay it............

if you actually read my post, you would know I've paid already like long time ago (ex. like 2 hours right after the ticket)

[Eff-1]

few things to clarify:

the officer can always cancel a ticket. so she lied to you.

all vancouver meters operate like this: when time expires, it shows 3 zeros for about 2 minutes. you can't get a ticket during that time. once 4 zeros start flashing, you can get a ticket. you're saying the meter said "expired". i'm not aware of any meters in vancouver that can do that. if what you say is true, but your ticket says the meter showed 4 flashing zeros (the wording of the bylaw), then you can dispute it based on this. but you'd have to prove the meter said "expired", and i've never heard of that before.

last thing to think about is this: over the course of a shift, a parking officer runs into about a hundred people who go into a business without paying, see the officer outside, then run out and try and pay before getting a ticket. she probably thought you were just another one of those guys trying to get away with that excuse, unfortunately.

just remember: some parking officers are nice. but some aren't.

[orange7]

^
oh.

well i can't see my car from inside of ncix on broadway.

my car was on the side street behind ncix, not on broadway.

wow.. i showed her proof of my order receipt, and i didn't even have the item in my hand yet at that time.

dunno why she didn't cancel.

[svelt]

Really, don't bother with disputing. City of Vancouver will take your money. Think of it as a tax for carelessness. I've never seen anyone successful with disputes or court appearances for a parking ticket. Speeding and what not is another matter, but a $35 ticket... just drink less next time you're out.