How can I sue NYC for unfair traffic laws?

[master_shake_]

They just lowered the speed limits across NYC and then deployed these cameras. After decade of drivers being conditioned to driving 30MPH, they have lowered the speed limits to 25MPH on bigger streets and 15-20 on side streets.

It's a money grab. It's extremely frustrating to drive 15MPH on what was a 30MPH street for decades.

So driving at speeds that were normal just a month ago is now illegal.

they do that in ontario too...

we had a school zone on a rural raod that was 80km/hh (when i was younger it was 100km/h but i digress) and when you hit the school zone it was 60 km/h even out of school hours and during summer vacation.

a lot of people were getting tickets outside of school hours and there is no way to fight a speeding ticket besides getting it busted down but in a school zone it's next to impossible.

finally with a bunch of complaints they put up a sign where you could only get a ticket if you were speeding over 60 when the school was open.

that is a fucking money grab.

 

[Dari]

They just lowered the speed limits across NYC and then deployed these cameras. After decade of drivers being conditioned to driving 30MPH, they have lowered the speed limits to 25MPH on bigger streets and 15-20 on side streets.

It's a money grab. It's extremely frustrating to drive 15MPH on what was a 30MPH street for decades.

So driving at speeds that were normal just a month ago is now illegal.

Wow, I had no idea. Did they change the speed in which the lights change as well? IIRC, those changed at 30 mph from light to light.

wat?

Were you driving a fucking semi down a 5 ton restricted road or something? There's no fucking way there could be a law restricting commercial vehicles from residential areas, otherwise service trucks and utility vehicles would be getting tickets out the ass. You know, like Roto Rooter and Verizon vans (yep, they're tagged as commercial).

When I moved from Princeton to NYC, I got a ticket for parking the Uhaul overnight. They said that since it was a commercial vehicle it was not allowed to be parked in a residential area overnight. I cursed the gods and just paid the fucking thing.

 

[Jeff7]

“We are really not trying to engage in ‘gotcha,’ and we’re really not trying to do this as a revenue-raising exercise,” said city Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg.

:|

 

[amdhunter]

Wow, I had no idea. Did they change the speed in which the lights change as well? IIRC, those changed at 30 mph from light to light.

Yes they did and where I am, it's a disaster. Almost daily it looks like a traffic jam and you can see the frustration of drivers.

Going against the lights is even worse.

And just to add topping to the situation, the police use the middle lanes a LOT now to bypass traffic.

Before it was rare to see people stopped for speeding, and now I see people lined up (YES LINED UP) waiting to be ticketed. They stop them in groups now.

 

[dmcowen674]

Yes they did and where I am, it's a disaster. Almost daily it looks like a traffic jam and you can see the frustration of drivers.

Going against the lights is even worse.

And just to add topping to the situation, the police use the middle lanes a LOT now to bypass traffic.

Before it was rare to see people stopped for speeding, and now I see people lined up (YES LINED UP) waiting to be ticketed. They stop them in groups now.

Awesome reemage :biggrin:

 

[Dari]

Yes they did and where I am, it's a disaster. Almost daily it looks like a traffic jam and you can see the frustration of drivers.

Going against the lights is even worse.

And just to add topping to the situation, the police use the middle lanes a LOT now to bypass traffic.

Before it was rare to see people stopped for speeding, and now I see people lined up (YES LINED UP) waiting to be ticketed. They stop them in groups now.

lol, how is that even possible? Can't see that happening unless the cops are working in groups. One does the catching while the other does the processing.

 

[amdhunter]

lol, how is that even possible? Can't see that happening unless the cops are working in groups. One does the catching while the other does the processing.

YES! This is exactly how it's happening. They actually have NYPD waving people into the bike lanes to wait to be ticketed. Imagine someone directing traffic, except this person is not at the intersection, and waving you to curb your car to wait for a ticket.

I'll try to dashcam my commute soon. It's incredible how bad it is.

 

[Insomniator]

YES! This is exactly how it's happening. They actually have NYPD waving people into the bike lanes to wait to be ticketed. Imagine someone directing traffic, except this person is not at the intersection, and waving you to curb your car to wait for a ticket.

I'll try to dashcam my commute soon. It's incredible how bad it is.

What happens if you just keep driving by a cop on the street that waves you down? Are you like... required to stop because someone is waving at you? Would they go through the trouble of getting in the car and chasing you down?

 

[SunnyD]

When I moved from Princeton to NYC, I got a ticket for parking the Uhaul overnight. They said that since it was a commercial vehicle it was not allowed to be parked in a residential area overnight. I cursed the gods and just paid the fucking thing.

He said moving violation. A parking ticket is not a moving violation.

First off, I'll start by saying I have received only 1 moving violation ticket in my entire life, in November 2001, 2 months after receiving my license, for driving a commercial vehicle in a residential area. Simply from ignorance.

From my cursory look over NYC residential traffic laws, the only thing I found was that you can't park a commercial vehicle in a residential area for more than 3 hours. There's nothing about driving one (other than the obvious weight and hazard restrictions, etc) that I could find.

 

[amdhunter]

He said moving violation. A parking ticket is not a moving violation.



From my cursory look over NYC residential traffic laws, the only thing I found was that you can't park a commercial vehicle in a residential area for more than 3 hours. There's nothing about driving one (other than the obvious weight and hazard restrictions, etc) that I could find.

It was a No Commercial Vehicles sign, and I had Commercial plates. It's dumb because I had a work order and the officer said it was too late to void the ticket. I accepted it, not knowing it would lead to points on my license...

 

[cubby1223]

I wonder if they will ever make these mobile ticket machines. Imagine a future with self driving cars roaming around the city catching speeders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3oczJ1zgM

 

[z1ggy]

Just move down with your chick and her familia. BAM! I just solved your problem. Most of them probably don't even have cars. I assume you just ride donkeys down there?

 

[cubby1223]

YES! This is exactly how it's happening. They actually have NYPD waving people into the bike lanes to wait to be ticketed. Imagine someone directing traffic, except this person is not at the intersection, and waving you to curb your car to wait for a ticket.

I'll try to dashcam my commute soon. It's incredible how bad it is.

Man, that is horrible. I'd hope there is a way to sue the city for all that crap. But I am not one who knows how to help in this subject

 

[dawheat]

They just lowered the speed limits across NYC and then deployed these cameras. After decade of drivers being conditioned to driving 30MPH, they have lowered the speed limits to 25MPH on bigger streets and 15-20 on side streets.

It's a money grab. It's extremely frustrating to drive 15MPH on what was a 30MPH street for decades.

So driving at speeds that were normal just a month ago is now illegal.

Wait - the speed limits on streets like 2nd, 3rd Ave are 25mph? That's fricking insane - these are 3, sometimes 4 lane one-way roads.

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have to be a bit more careful in the future.

 

[momeNt]

You would either need to get tickets yourself, or round up people and try to get a judge to believe that they are a "class" for a class action suit against NYC.

 

[K1052]

Wait - the speed limits on streets like 2nd, 3rd Ave are 25mph? That's fricking insane - these are 3, sometimes 4 lane one-way roads.

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have to be a bit more careful in the future.

They are now. The city lobbied the legislature for 25mph as part of Vision Zero, which I think is a generally laudable goal.

 

[Insomniator]

They are now. The city lobbied the legislature for 25mph as part of Vision Zero, which I think is a generally laudable goal.

Why not make it 15? 5? Lets just ban all cars.

Pedestrians having no regard or respect for the road because 'they have the right of way' is a bigger issue than going 35 on a 4 lane avenue.

 

[purbeast0]

my understanding as to the different fines based upon a cop giving you a ticket or them being from a camera automatically, is that they can't pinpoint who is the driver of the car from the camera, but the officer can. so technically your friend could be driving your car and get a speeding ticket that you are responsible for, but if he was driving your car and a cop pulled him over, he would be responsible for it.

 

[smackababy]

my understanding as to the different fines based upon a cop giving you a ticket or them being from a camera automatically, is that they can't pinpoint who is the driver of the car from the camera, but the officer can. so technically your friend could be driving your car and get a speeding ticket that you are responsible for, but if he was driving your car and a cop pulled him over, he would be responsible for it.

That depends if there are cameras or not. I heard about a case where right after a break up, like hours after, a guy took his girlfriends car and ran through like 25 or so red light cameras and racked up a ton of tickets. She took him to court and there was camera evidence he was driving and he had to pay all of them, plus her court costs.


I think the real reason the tickets are less is because the costs are much less than having an actual patrol man. And, the fact that even if it takes a cop 5 minutes to catch a speed, issue the ticket, and get back to the spot, the camera could have issued 10x the tickets in that time.

 

[K1052]

Why not make it 15? 5? Lets just ban all cars.

Pedestrians having no regard or respect for the road because 'they have the right of way' is a bigger issue than going 35 on a 4 lane avenue.

Well technically the pedestrians were there first, arguably they should have first claim to a public ROW.

 

[Jeff7]

What happens if you just keep driving by a cop on the street that waves you down? Are you like... required to stop because someone is waving at you? Would they go through the trouble of getting in the car and chasing you down?

Get on the radio to another cop somewhere down the road with a vehicle description and possibly plate number, then also get cited for failing to obey a law officer.

 

[Newell Steamer]

• NYC makes all speeding/red light tickets pointable.
• NYC makes all speeding/red light tickets unpointable.

What does ATOT think?

Don't speed or run red lights.

Why do these forums have such problems with following speed and traffic laws?

 

[poofyhairguy]

What does ATOT think?