New York City Council, 24th District

Chair, Committee on Environmental Protection

James F. Gennaro

PRESS RELEASE

Councilman Gennaro, Queens Chamber, Merchants Hail Passage of Law Allowing Cancellation of Unfair Parking Tickets

Making the Muni-Meter a Square Deal: Councilman Gennaro speaks about a new law he sponsored that allows the immediate cancellation of unfair parking tickets. He is joined by (l. to r.) Josephine Dimarco of Lulu’s Bakery, Dr. William Murray Sr., who practices dentistry on Union Turnpike, Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jack Friedman and staffer Eric Abrams, Wendy Marsh of Marsh Optical, and Union Turnpike Merchants Association President Robert Gargiulo.

FRESH MEADOWS — Council Member James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), Queens Chamber of Commerce President Jack Friedman and local merchants gathered on Union Turnpike on Monday to celebrate the passage of a law that gives shoppers paying for curbside parking—and the merchants they frequent—some added peace of mind.

Currently, if a person shows a valid muni-meter receipt to a Traffic Enforcement Agent who has issued a ticket, there is no way for the agent to cancel the ticket. Moreover, if the person is getting the muni-meter receipt at the time of the ticket being issued, the time on the muni-meter receipt may be slightly after the time of the ticket. 

The new law, sponsored by Gennaro, requires the ticket to be canceled upon the showing of a valid receipt no later than five minutes after the ticked is issued. This effectively spares drivers from having to appeal the violation and take time out of their busy schedule to appear in court with the receipt.

The City Council passed the bill in January, but Mayor Bloomberg vetoed it in February. The Council overrode the mayor’s veto by a 47-2 vote on March 28. The law will take effect on Sept. 24, allowing 180 days for the city to reprogram its digital parking scanners to cancel violations on the spot.

“This is a common-sense law,” Gennaro said. “If you park your car at a metered spot and you walk to the muni-meter to pay for it, you’re playing by the rules. And if there’s a parking agent close by, or you’re elderly and walk slowly, or there’s someone in front of you at the muni-meter terminal, you shouldn’t be penalized as if you were trying to cheat the system.”

“This law is great news for small business owners in Queens and throughout the city,” Friedman said. “When drivers are unfairly ticketed for parking on the street, small businesses suffer, too. The shoppers effectively blame the merchant—they don’t come back.”

“It’s going to make a difference,” said Wendy Marsh of Marsh Optical and former president of the Union Turnpike Merchants Association. “It’s enough that they get tickets all the time here anyway. People get tickets, they don’t want to shop here.”