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Man Gets Parking Ticket At Shut Down Bus Stop

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Earlier this summer, Park Slope resident Bill Herman and his wife were ticketed for parking at a decommissioned bus stop. As CBS 2HD's Mark Morgan reports, his repeated attempts to have the ticket dismissed, per the city's Finance Department's earlier promise, resulted in only letters stating he could pay a reduced fine instead of the ticket being dismissed outright.

"Infuriating. I think most people would just roll over and pay the $90," Herman said.

The location where Herman and his wife were ticketed, at that time, had a sign posted that said "this is no longer a bus stop." Now a "no standing anytime" sign is there, prohibiting parking from the former stop, all the way to the corner.

Over 500 stops were shut down by the MTA back in late June due to service cuts. All five boroughs were affected, with many stops closed in the Bronx and in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield said his office fielded many complaints from people who feel they were wrongly ticketed.

Said Greenfield: "$150 is a lot of money for the average New Yorker and it's really unfair that the Finance Department simply would not cancel these tickets."

The Department would not grant an on camera interview to CBS 2HD, but released this statement by Press Secretary Owen Stone: "If anyone feels they have received a ticket in error, they should contest it with the Department of Finance. If they do not want to take the settlement offer, no further action is required, and a judge will take a look at the case and dismiss the ticket if it is invalid."

The slow, bureaucratic process will likely continue to frustrate Bill Herman and any other New Yorkers who were waiting for this problem to be resolved.

The Department also said letters offering settlements were part of a long-standing computerized system that pre-dates this current problem.

New York City promised to dismiss parking tickets given to drivers who parked in decommissioned bus stops.

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