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Old 10-19-2011, 05:50 PM
 
5 posts, read 34,481 times
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I just moved to Bergenfield a week ago and parked my car overnight on a street by my apartment. The street does not have any sign that warns against overnight parking (2-5 am). When I woke up this morning I noticed that I had been issued a ticket for parking my car overnight. When I checked the Bergenfield website I realized that one cannot park between 2 am and 5 am on all Bergenfield streets. I would not have done it had I seen a sign on my street. I now have been asked to appear in court (don't know why! Is it because I have an out-of-state plate?) and pay the fine, which I think is $55 for "No overnight parking 2-5am" violation.

Is this something I should be contesting and I am not sure why I am being asked to appear in court! I will be taking pictures of my street to prove that there were no signs. Will the judge be lenient due to the fact that I am new to Bergenfield?

Also, I can barely read my ticket since it rained overnight and almost everything was washed out! Can I get a copy from the court? I checked online and entered the details, but my ticket could not be found.

Please advise. Thanks, in advance.
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Old 10-19-2011, 05:59 PM
 
Location: Lakewood, NJ
1,171 posts, read 2,672,162 times
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If you have pictures of the street that there are no signs present and you have since gotten a resident parking permit the judge will most likely throw out the ticket. You will unfortunately have to appear in court to contest it though.
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Old 10-19-2011, 09:11 PM
 
Location: Murphy, NC
3,223 posts, read 9,595,205 times
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Go to court and fight, u will probably get it dropped or reduced. Only question is if its worth ur time. Unless u have to work it probably is.
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Old 10-19-2011, 10:13 PM
 
Location: Jersey City
7,049 posts, read 19,203,309 times
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You can try to fight it, but you'll probably lose. The overnight parking ban applies to all of Bergenfield. It's posted on the town's website. It's posted on the police website. I haven't been to Bergenfield in a long time, but there's a chance that there's a small sign at the town line that says "Welcome to Bergenfield" followed by "no overnight parking." Most suburban NJ towns have similar rules. You need to look into this stuff before you park or risk the consequence. There's a chance you'll meet a sympathetic prosecutor, but they're probably not going to let your $55 go without a fight.

Information for Residents

Welcome to the Bergenfield Police Department
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Old 10-19-2011, 10:46 PM
 
Location: Lakewood, NJ
1,171 posts, read 2,672,162 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lammius View Post
You can try to fight it, but you'll probably lose. The overnight parking ban applies to all of Bergenfield. It's posted on the town's website. It's posted on the police website. I haven't been to Bergenfield in a long time, but there's a chance that there's a small sign at the town line that says "Welcome to Bergenfield" followed by "no overnight parking." Most suburban NJ towns have similar rules. You need to look into this stuff before you park or risk the consequence. There's a chance you'll meet a sympathetic prosecutor, but they're probably not going to let your $55 go without a fight.

Information for Residents

Welcome to the Bergenfield Police Department
They can't assume anyone has visited the website for that information and it has to be posted on the street. Even if there was some "blanket" sign on the "welcome to Bergenfield" sign, how do you know how someone entered the town? They don't have welcome signs on every street that borders surrounding towns. They have a similar program in Ridgefield now and on every street, on both sides, there is a sign that says residential parking permit required between the hours on 1 am - 9 am. If there is no sign on that street I bet it will get dropped.
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Old 10-20-2011, 08:38 AM
 
Location: Randolph, NJ
4,073 posts, read 8,940,193 times
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You might have a chance if you go to court with photo evidence (and stay very polite). But taking/printing pictures takes time and court probably kills half a day if you're lucky. The time and effort add up quickly, so I would personally just pay it. But if you have the spare time, or if the fine is meaningful to you, or if the principle really motivates you, you can take a shot in court.
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Old 10-20-2011, 08:52 AM
 
4,282 posts, read 10,718,386 times
Reputation: 3804
For what its worth, I parked overnight in a dead end street, and got a ticket for parking overnight. Took a picture of sign post without a sign attached to it, and I had to pay nothing.

At the time I was a broke college student, not sure if it is worth the hassle these days.
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Old 10-20-2011, 03:28 PM
 
831 posts, read 2,816,450 times
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Not worth it. I got a $25 ticket in bloomfield for a similiar situation, but after thinking about it, it's not worth the hassle for that amount. I'm gonna cough up the cash and move on.
Lesson learned.
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Old 10-22-2011, 08:45 AM
 
5 posts, read 34,481 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GoYanks34 View Post
If you have pictures of the street that there are no signs present and you have since gotten a resident parking permit the judge will most likely throw out the ticket. You will unfortunately have to appear in court to contest it though.
Thanks for you advise. I have taken pictures of the street. I do not have a resident parking permit since we are not issued one; have the lease agreement though. And my license indicates my residential address.
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Old 10-22-2011, 08:48 AM
 
5 posts, read 34,481 times
Reputation: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by HalfFull View Post
You might have a chance if you go to court with photo evidence (and stay very polite). But taking/printing pictures takes time and court probably kills half a day if you're lucky. The time and effort add up quickly, so I would personally just pay it. But if you have the spare time, or if the fine is meaningful to you, or if the principle really motivates you, you can take a shot in court.
Thanks for your response. I have to pay $55. But it is not the money; like you pointed out, it's the principle. I think it really unfair to be ticketed without any communication. Thank you all for your responses.
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