Parking ticket help please

[ultimatejester]

On sunday night i got a $100 parking for parking within 3M of firehydrant. I would like to pay the ticket but honestly i cant afford to pay this much. The hydrant was covered with snow and the car in front of me got a ticket as well. It just happens to be that day when all the snow melted and we had a beautiful day in GTA ( not me though :mad:). I realize that it's my mistake but is there a way i can reduce the fine. I live in oakville and got a ticket in Toronto ( dont know if that helps or not).

Thanks.

[ariell]

You can go to court: http://www.toronto.ca/parkingtickets/parking_trial.htm

I've done that for a number of parking tickets. The judge either reduced the fine by a substantial amount or sometimes threw it out completely. I'd definitely do it for a $100 fine.

[stuntman]

-Take pictures.
-Get the weather reports to show that the snow melted that day.
-Get the newspaper articles about gas meters being sheered off in the city > showing that many other infrastructure items were not visible.

If there is a sign stating that there is a hydrant though.....I dunno

[ultimatejester]

Thanks for replying. How long does it usually take to get a court date for these type of tickets. I have done some research and according to some people it can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. I just dont want to forget about this after i get a trial date. Stuntman thanks for picture idea. Is it too late to take a picture now. I can probably find a newspaper article that mentions weather on sunday. There was no sign for the hydrant.

[stuntman]

Thanks for replying. How long does it usually take to get a court date for these type of tickets. I have done some research and according to some people it can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. I just dont want to forget about this after i get a trial date. Stuntman thanks for picture idea. Is it too late to take a picture now. I can probably find a newspaper article that mentions weather on sunday. There was no sign for the hydrant.

No problem.
If there is no sign for the hydrant take a picture of that. Take lots of pictures.

[ticketcombat]

stuntman offers great advice. Just be careful with the pictures. The photographer has to be in court so make sure you take them. They have to be relevant. For example a ticket at night and a picture during the day. The picture is not very relevant to the time of the infraction.

Same with the weather: rain, snow, melting snow etc affect the picture. It's not a true version of the event, it was taken after. Expect the prosecutor to object to your pictures.

Weather Underground has good historical hourly forecasts which will be helpful. Also go back a little further so you have the predictions of what was coming.

Also request disclosure. Make them work for the conviction.

[ariell]

Expect the prosecutor to object to your pictures.
<snip>
Also request disclosure. Make them work for the conviction.

Dude, it's traffic court, not the supreme court!! There is no prosecutor.

To the original OP, you are not claiming that you are not guilty -- in that case there is a trial and you have to take the stand. You are claiming that you are guilty with extenuating circumstances. YOu will stand up in front of the judge and tell your story and it will take all of 5 minutes at most. I have done this many times.

Yep, unfortunately it may take up to 1 year for you to get a date.

[ticketcombat]

Dude, it's traffic court, not the supreme court!! There is no prosecutor.
<snip>
I have done this many times.

While you were doing this so many times, that dude in the suit standing to your right, that would be the prosecutor.

And as for the Supreme Court, R. v. Richard, 1996 (http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1996/1996canlii185/1996canlii185.html), see paragraph 19 where the Supreme Court talks about parking tickets.

[ariell]

While you were doing this so many times, that dude in the suit standing to your right, that would be the prosecutor.

And as for the Supreme Court, R. v. Richard, 1996 (http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/1996/1996canlii185/1996canlii185.html), see paragraph 19 where the Supreme Court talks about parking tickets.

LOL. Ooops, yes you're right. It's been a few years since I've had to do that. The dude stands to your left BTW. ;)

Anyway, his presence is pretty negligible which is why I forgot all about him. Essentially he just calls you up and tells you to state your name. Your entire interaction is with the judge. It's not like the prosecutor cross-examines you or anything. It's not a trial so your comment to 'request full disclosure and make them work for the conviction' seemed a little over the top and that's what I was reacting to. The ONLY time there is a trial is when you plead "not guilty" which the OP cannot do given that they were guilty.

[ultimatejester]

Will 1 article be enough or do i need to bring in more than one. Also i have taken the pictures. Just one last question. I dont want my dad knowing about this and it was his car. If i go for the trial option, will he be mailed about the trial date or can i have them forward the mail to me. Heck this is probably more important than the ticket fine.

Thanks for the help everyone. Never tried any other section on RFD besides the deals section but there is definitely some nice and helpful people here. Hope to see you more (hopefully not because of tickets)

[stuntman]

Well the dad issue throws a big wrench into the works. Even if the court can forward you the mail they can always screw up or your dad will find out somehow.

Why would they forward the mail to anyone else? Your dad is on the hook for it.

You are taking a risk....pay the darn fine or risk your dad finding out.

What would I do? Cut my loses and pay.
sm

[Webhead]

-Take pictures.
-Get the weather reports to show that the snow melted that day.
-Get the newspaper articles about gas meters being sheered off in the city > showing that many other infrastructure items were not visible.

If there is a sign stating that there is a hydrant though.....I dunno

[/QUOTE] How long does it usually take to get a court date for these type of tickets. I have done some research and according to some people it can take anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. [/QUOTE]


+1.

Court date can be anytime especially with the backlog of the number of tickets issued. I requested a court date for a parking infraction back in 2005 and stilll waiting. I'm assuming I won't get it. I do have pictures if I will need them.

[ariell]

Just one last question. I dont want my dad knowing about this and it was his car. If i go for the trial option, will he be mailed about the trial date or can i have them forward the mail to me.

Ooops. Well that changes things doesn't it?

To be honest, I'm not sure if the trial date will be mailed to him or you.

So it's either you pay the fine, risk him finding out, or you just tell him. I mean it's not like it was a speeding ticket or you damaged his car. As long as you tell him that you're taking care of it, I don't see what the big deal is but hey, I don't know your dad. ;)

Good luck in any case.

[Whitedart]

No problem.
If there is no sign for the hydrant take a picture of that. Take lots of pictures.


Parking offences that do not require signs
The most common situations:

Offence No.on ticket Description Area for by-law Set Fine
2 Park longer than 3 hours Toronto wide $15.00
11 Park more than 30cm from curb Toronto wide $15.00
12 Park vehicle for sale Toronto wide $15.00
14 Park obstruct driveway/laneway Toronto wide $40.00
15 Park 3 metres of fire hydrant Toronto wide $100.00
16 Park 9 metres of intersecting highway Toronto wide $40.00
24 Park taxi cab for hire-unauthorized location Toronto wide $30.00
26 Park on Boulevard North York/Scarborough/East York/Toronto $30.00
28 Park between 2am-6am Dec 1 to Mar 31 North York $30.00
30 Stop on/over sidewalk/footpath Toronto wide $60.00
31 Stop roadside (parked/stopped) vehicle Toronto wide $60.00
48 Park left wheels to curb Toronto wide $15.00
57 Stop within intersection Toronto wide $60.00
58 Stop within 9 metres of crosswalk Toronto wide $60.00
65 Stop on bridge Toronto wide $60.00
70 Stop on centre strip Toronto wide $60.00

For up-to-date parking by-law information in your area, please call Access Toronto at 416-338-0338 or email at accesstoronto@toronto.ca.



Not as well formatted as in the chart on the web site, but none of these offences require any signage to be posted.

[Whitedart]

Ooops. Well that changes things doesn't it?

To be honest, I'm not sure if the trial date will be mailed to him or you.

So it's either you pay the fine, risk him finding out, or you just tell him. I mean it's not like it was a speeding ticket or you damaged his car. As long as you tell him that you're taking care of it, I don't see what the big deal is but hey, I don't know your dad. ;)

The registered owner of the vehicle would be considered the offender, and any notices would be sent to the registered owner as indicated on MTO records on the date of the offence.

[Whitedart]

LOL. Ooops, yes you're right. It's been a few years since I've had to do that. The dude stands to your left BTW. ;)

Anyway, his presence is pretty negligible which is why I forgot all about him. Essentially he just calls you up and tells you to state your name. Your entire interaction is with the judge. It's not like the prosecutor cross-examines you or anything. It's not a trial so your comment to 'request full disclosure and make them work for the conviction' seemed a little over the top and that's what I was reacting to. The ONLY time there is a trial is when you plead "not guilty" which the OP cannot do given that they were guilty.

The prosecutor sits on the right of the two tables at the front, facing the court clerk, and the Justice of the Peace in the black robe with the green sash.

If you plead not guilty and have a trial, , the prosecutor DOES have the opportunity to cross examine you when you are giving sworn or affirmed evidence.

The matter can also be pleaded (guilty with an explanation) with a reduced penalty in most instances, and then no trial.

[Whitedart]

Well the dad issue throws a big wrench into the works. Even if the court can forward you the mail they can always screw up or your dad will find out somehow.

Why would they forward the mail to anyone else? Your dad is on the hook for it.

You are taking a risk....pay the darn fine or risk your dad finding out.

What would I do? Cut my loses and pay.
sm

Or better yet if he wants to get this over with. Take the ticket and go to a first attendance meeting. They will usually reduce the amount of the fine if you are going to plead guilty at that point. I know they do this at the Mississauga court house, and I believe they would also in Toronto.

It will save filing the documents at court, having them mail out notices to the dad, having to go back to court for a trial date, then trying to have the penalty reduced at that time or going through a trial and receiving no reduction if convicted and considered to be wasting the courts time.

[ultimatejester]

Or better yet if he wants to get this over with. Take the ticket and go to a first attendance meeting. They will usually reduce the amount of the fine if you are going to plead guilty at that point.

That would be so nice. Like i mentioned in my first post, i know i am guilty but i didnt see the hydrant because of the damn snow. I could get it all cleared up in one day. Also does anyone have any idea if the parking operations are closed tommorrow (family day). This holiday always confuses me. I know its a statutory holiday but some people i know still work on the provincial level because it is not included in their union contract. I have tried calling the 416-397-TAGS without much help. Did a reverse lookup on the all the locations to get a number and maybe find an answer in the voicemail. All i could find was the general TAGS number which is useless.

Thanks.

[ariell]

The prosecutor sits on the right of the two tables at the front, facing the court clerk, and the Justice of the Peace in the black robe with the green sash.

If you plead not guilty and have a trial, , the prosecutor DOES have the opportunity to cross examine you when you are giving sworn or affirmed evidence.

The matter can also be pleaded (guilty with an explanation) with a reduced penalty in most instances, and then no trial.

That's what I just said! If you plead not guilty then there IS a trial and yes the prosecutor will cross-examine you. But given that the OP is pleading NOT GUILTY there will be no trial and hence no cross-examination. I'm pretty positive the prosecutor is to your left. Anyway, it really makes no difference, does it???? :confused:

[gman]

Parking offences that do not require signs


I believe what he referred to is if there is an extra sign/indicator telling there is a hydrant. OP indicated the hydrant was covered by snow and he could not see that. If there is a sign telling OP there is a hydrant, he is more screw than there is none. In Markham, there is a long stick coming out telling you there is a fire hydrant even though the hydrant is totally covered by snow.

[ariell]

Or better yet if he wants to get this over with. Take the ticket and go to a first attendance meeting. They will usually reduce the amount of the fine if you are going to plead guilty at that point. I know they do this at the Mississauga court house, and I believe they would also in Toronto.

It will save filing the documents at court, having them mail out notices to the dad, having to go back to court for a trial date, then trying to have the penalty reduced at that time or going through a trial and receiving no reduction if convicted and considered to be wasting the courts time.

Not sure what a "first attendance meeting" is. I've been to court quite a few times to fight parking tickets (in Toronto) and they ALWAYS mail you a court date for a date 6-12 months away. If you read the link that I posted on the first page (http://www.toronto.ca/parkingtickets/parking_trial.htm) it's pretty clear that you go fill in the back of the ticket to say you want to dispute, go to one of the parking tag offices and then they mail you a trial date. There is no in-between stage. No idea what happens in Mississauaga but I know that's how it works in TO.

[ariell]

Also does anyone have any idea if the parking operations are closed tommorrow (family day). This holiday always confuses me. I know its a statutory holiday but some people i know still work on the provincial level because it is not included in their union contract.

Thanks.

Pretty sure they'd be closed. The City of Toronto website says that all 4 parking tag offices are:
"Hours of operation:
Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 pm

Note: All four sites are wheelchair accessible.

Closed on statutory and civic holidays.

[Whitedart]

Not sure what a "first attendance meeting" is. I've been to court quite a few times to fight parking tickets (in Toronto) and they ALWAYS mail you a court date for a date 6-12 months away. If you read the link that I posted on the first page (http://www.toronto.ca/parkingtickets/parking_trial.htm) it's pretty clear that you go fill in the back of the ticket to say you want to dispute, go to one of the parking tag offices and then they mail you a trial date. There is no in-between stage. No idea what happens in Mississauaga but I know that's how it works in TO.

Here is a link for Mississauga. I thought it was walk in, but the link indicates by appointment.
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/firstattendancefacility

It appears Toronto does this as well for traffic violations, but not parking.
http://www.toronto.ca/court_services/services.htm

[ultimatejester]

Thanks again for replying. Suppose i pay the ticket tonight, will they send me (or my dad) a receipt for the payment? I dont want my dad anywhere near this.

[Whitedart]

Thanks again for replying. Suppose i pay the ticket tonight, will they send me (or my dad) a receipt for the payment? I dont want my dad anywhere near this.

I don't believe they do. If it is paid online with a credit card, you would have your statement as a receipt. If you paid at a court cashier, they would provide a receipt.

[ultimatejester]

I would prefer to pay it online. So will the receipt be under my name? (letter in the mail) I will be paying this through my own credit card.

[Whitedart]

I would prefer to pay it online. So will the receipt be under my name? (letter in the mail) I will be paying this through my own credit card.

If paid by your credit card, the transaction would appear on your card statement. As I recall, it would have the ticket number included as a transaction number to record the payment and use as a receipt.
There would be no mailed receipt to your dad that I am aware of.

[snuffy2]

What happens to tickets that are older then 15 days? Can you still request a trial?

[ticketcombat]

What happens to tickets that are older then 15 days? Can you still request a trial?If it is a parking violation, after the 15 days have expired, the plate owner will receive a "notice of impending conviction" and will have another 15 days to deal with it.

After that, they will be found guilty and a "notice of conviction" will be sent to the plate owner to pay (plus an additional court cost is tacked on). After that, it is registered against the plate owner who has to pay before they can renew their sticker.

[ultimatejester]

Ok so i paid the fine. I was going to request a trial. I had asked my friend to drop me off at the North York Civic Centre but we got into an accident and the whole thing got me rethinking. My friend got a huge ticket with $110 fine and on top of that 3 points. I came home and paid the fine. My mom helped me out a little bit. The problem is that i paid it yesterday and it would be 15 days this sunday. Is that enough time or do i need to take the mail box key from my dad?

Thanks.

[CNeufeld]

It's a parking ticket, and your mommy knows about it already. What's the issue? Gonna get grounded? Suck it up already.

Clint

[stuntman]

Ok so i paid the fine. I was going to request a trial. I had asked my friend to drop me off at the North York Civic Centre but we got into an accident and the whole thing got me rethinking. My friend got a huge ticket with $110 fine and on top of that 3 points. I came home and paid the fine. My mom helped me out a little bit. The problem is that i paid it yesterday and it would be 15 days this sunday. Is that enough time or do i need to take the mail box key from my dad?

Thanks.

Your mom knows. That means your dad knows too.

sm

[ultimatejester]

It's a parking ticket, and your mommy knows about it already. What's the issue? Gonna get grounded? Suck it up already.

Clint

The problem was the money. It always is, isnt it :) I didnt have $100. It's hard to pay for something when you dont have money. Thanks for the great post though.

[ultimatejester]

Your mom knows. That means your dad knows too.

sm

I didnt say my mom knows if you read the post. I didnt tell her. I borrowed money from her. I said my mom helped me out with the money.

[CNeufeld]

The problem was the money. It always is, isnt it :) I didnt have $100. It's hard to pay for something when you dont have money. Thanks for the great post though.

No problem. And yeah, money is the cause of a lot of problems. Just seems, though, that you would have saved yourself a lot of stress and frustration if you would have just fessed up to begin with, and told your parents you got a ticket. And it was a parking ticket, not even a speeding ticket or something. Could have worked out some way to pay them to keep everyone less stressed. And now your mom knows anyway, so...

Clint

Ah, bad assumption on my part... I assumed she knew WHY you borrowed money from her. I still can't see why it's a big deal to get a parking ticket, but whatever.