My question involves traffic court in the State of: New Jersey
Dear Forum,
I live in Rutherford, NJ. Today I had to stop by the local library to make a quick pick-up of a book I'd ordered. Unfortunately there was nowhere to park in the area, in part due to piles of snow. So I pulled into the handicapped parking spot thinking I would be back in a minute. As I did, another driver without handicap ID pulled in behind me into what was also a handicapped spot. When I returned 1-2 minutes later, a police car was parked across the street, and an elderly woman attendant slowly stepped out of her vehicle just as I got to my door. I found it hard to believe she had me in her sights as I saw her amble toward the rear of my vehicle, as I suddenly tried to explain the circumstances and appeal to her for leniency, but all to no avail. Instead of issuing me a warning and letting it go, the woman was stubbornly determined to get to the rear of my vehicle in order to record my plate number on her iPad. The driver who parked behind me had since returned to his car and sped off, which I realized (too late) I should have done when I had the chance. I asked the attendant for her name, and she wryly retorted that I'd “see it on the ticket when I get it in the mail". The fine BTW is $250.
She did not care that there was A) limited parking due to the mounds of snow, and that B) I had been only gone about a minute to pick up a DVD, C) There were no handicapped vehicles in the area at the time, or that D) another vehicle without handicap ID had parked behind me in a second handicap 'no parking' space (who was not singled out like I was).
The bottom line is: On a limited income, I can't afford to pay this sizable amount of money. And I dread having to explain all this to a prosecutor and spend the greater part of a day in court in order to appeal.
What options (if any) would I have, and what happens in cases where the person summonsed neither pays or shows up in court? Thanks for any advice.
Dear Forum,
I live in Rutherford, NJ. Today I had to stop by the local library to make a quick pick-up of a book I'd ordered. Unfortunately there was nowhere to park in the area, in part due to piles of snow. So I pulled into the handicapped parking spot thinking I would be back in a minute. As I did, another driver without handicap ID pulled in behind me into what was also a handicapped spot. When I returned 1-2 minutes later, a police car was parked across the street, and an elderly woman attendant slowly stepped out of her vehicle just as I got to my door. I found it hard to believe she had me in her sights as I saw her amble toward the rear of my vehicle, as I suddenly tried to explain the circumstances and appeal to her for leniency, but all to no avail. Instead of issuing me a warning and letting it go, the woman was stubbornly determined to get to the rear of my vehicle in order to record my plate number on her iPad. The driver who parked behind me had since returned to his car and sped off, which I realized (too late) I should have done when I had the chance. I asked the attendant for her name, and she wryly retorted that I'd “see it on the ticket when I get it in the mail". The fine BTW is $250.
She did not care that there was A) limited parking due to the mounds of snow, and that B) I had been only gone about a minute to pick up a DVD, C) There were no handicapped vehicles in the area at the time, or that D) another vehicle without handicap ID had parked behind me in a second handicap 'no parking' space (who was not singled out like I was).
The bottom line is: On a limited income, I can't afford to pay this sizable amount of money. And I dread having to explain all this to a prosecutor and spend the greater part of a day in court in order to appeal.
What options (if any) would I have, and what happens in cases where the person summonsed neither pays or shows up in court? Thanks for any advice.
Appeals: Whoever Said the Library Was Free
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