Feb 6, 2004

New Yorkers Can Fight Tickets by Phone

Every weekday more than 40,000 parking "summonses" are written in New York City. And each one carries with it the threat of a hefty fine. Now the new (1) 888 NYC-PARK automated telephone system allows anyone, no matter where they are, to start fighting their parking ticket by simply calling the (1) 888 NYC-PARK phone number.

"Over 10 million summonses are issued annually in New York City," said parkingticket President Glen Bolofsky, "and now, for the first time ever, people will be able to instantly fight a ticket the very moment it is issued."

Most people don't even know they can fight their parking tickets let alone have the time to go to court or write a letter that details their defense. At no additional cost, (1) 888 NYC-PARK will request an official copy of a summons in the event the original copy was either mutilated or is hard to read.

According to The parkingticket Website, fighting a parking ticket by phone is quick, easy and convenient:

1. Customer calls: (1) 888 NYC-PARK



2. Customer enters parking ticket number into telephone using phone keypad



3. Customer enters credit card information



4. Customer "sends" information to parkingticket website



5. Customer can instantly access their ticket information on the parkingticket website when they return to their home or office



6. The website will provide specific instructions, which includes either a confidential, customized dismissal letter, a request for an official copy of the original summons or a notification to pay the fine expeditiously in order to avoid penalties

Mark Conrad, a former New York City Parking Violations Judge who helped design the (1) 888 NYC-PARK system said that it would make it easier for people to respond expeditiously and to gain dismissals. It will even facilitate the City's swifter adjudication of parking tickets, he said, by providing a standardized format to allow a more efficient review of each contested summons. If a summons that led to a car being towed away is contested and won, he pointed out, not only is the summons fine eliminated, but the accompanying towing charge is expunged as well.

The new ticket-fighting-by-phone service will also be available in San Francisco by dialing (1) 888 SAN-PARK and in Washington, D.C. by dialing (1) 888 DC-PARKING. Let's hope this good idea catches on and becomes available to all of us. I'm working on my excuses now.