broken parking meter

[angiewong]

At 5:30 PM, I parked at a meter in Los Angeles, only to discover that it was broken. Since it was almost 6:00 PM when I didn't have to pay to park, I figured I would take a chance, so I stayed and put a sign on the meter indicating it was broken (there were no other parking spaces available). I got a ticket :^(

I called the Dept. of Transportation and was told that I could contest the ticket, but it would be my word against theirs and I had about a 50/50 chance.

I want to contest it, just on principle. Is there a vehicle code or something in writing that addresses this matter? Is there anything I can do to improve my chances of winning?

Thanks much,

Angie

 

[lawrat]

I am a law school graduate. What I offer is mere information, not to be construed as forming an attorney client relationship.

Well, you definitely should not have put that sign up. See, you are not supposed to park by a meter that is broken. It is looked upon as trying to cheat the city.

But, there is a guideline that all such meters must be inspected so many times a year.

Try this, the page is down at the moment. But go to state statutes at the top of the freeadvice.com homepage and click on it and then click on california. try looking up parking meters in streets and highways and vehicle. Also, do a yahoo.com search for los angeles municipal code and look there too.