Greetings!
More Time at the Meter!
Back in March, we let you know that since Muni-Meter spaces on city streets don’t specify a particular location where you have to park, you can pay for time at one meter and use it on any other street in the city with muni-meter parking. One caveat though: this only applies to street parking and not muni-meter lots or garages. We also told you that a NYC Council member had introduced legislation to reinstate a five-minute grace period for people who violate meter and alternate-side parking rules.
Last week, the NY City Council approved that legislation to give you an extra five minutes "grace period" before Muni-Meter parking regulations and Alternate Side of the Street parking rules are enforced. Mayor Bloomberg says that this will lead to "chaos" and says he will veto this measure, but the Council can over-ride his veto with a two-thirds majority.
The City Council, which passed the law at an overwhelming 47-2 majority, made its decision on the premise that everyone’s watch cannot possibly be set to the exact same time. So if you believe your meter runs out at 2:17pm and your watch is a few minutes slow, then you don’t really deserve a ticket if you get to your car when your watch says 2:17.
Find out which meters won't have this grace period and what we think of the new rule.
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| No More Texting While Driving |
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If you've been texting while driving in NY State, stop right now. On November 1st, NY State became the 14th state to ban texting while driving. That includes reading, typing and/or sending text messages, and the fine is up to $150.
But there is are two twists to this ban that most of the other states don't have:
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You can't be pulled over for this violation, but you can get a ticket for texting if you're stopped for something else. This means the ban is a secondary enforcement law. |
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This law also makes new drivers take an additional 30 hours of supervised driving, and says that a new driver can have only one passenger under 21 in their car, instead of two passengers. |
Read more about what the NY Times says.
