Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: Washington
I was driving around the airport to pick someone up, they gave me some bad directions on which terminal. When I discovered I was too far ahead of where they were, I put my car in reverse to get closer. Only 1 vehicle passed me, this was not a very busy time at the airport at all, and I waited for that vehicle to pass before I even started pulling out to reverse in the road. After reversing about 75 meters (sorry for the metric reference) I parked again. At that time an airport officer ran over to me and started yelling at me that I was being unsafe. Given the situation, I didn't allow him to yell at me and told him I did nothing wrong. He told me that he was going to issue me a parking ticket, $30, rather than an infraction ticket and was doing me a favor.
My question is, was I in the legal wrong by reversing my vehicle against 1 way traffic for this distance? My vehicle was facing the correct direction, I was just in reverse gear.
Should I contest my ticket or just pony up the $30? I have an open schedule, so it is not a bother to me to take time away to go to court.
No rcw is referenced on the ticket, it is a notice of parking infraction ticket with the box checked as 16a.61.570.a.2.g. I never was out of the vehicle and was parked in the striped pickup zone in the airport. I was in the pickup zone no more than 2 minutes by the time the officer ran from his vehicle to mine
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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Quoting Spokane Municipal Code Section 16A.61.570(A)(2)(g)
Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall: stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger or passengers: in a no-parking area at Spokane International Airport as designated by the airport board.
My guess is that you probably would lose but the worst case is likely just the $30, although you might want to ask a clerk if any court cost is tacked on. However I would certainly not bring up anything about backing up.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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spokanedriver
Should I contest my ticket or just pony up the $30? I have an open schedule, so it is not a bother to me to take time away to go to court.
No rcw is referenced on the ticket, it is a notice of parking infraction ticket with the box checked as 16a.61.570.a.2.g. I never was out of the vehicle and was parked in the striped pickup zone in the airport. I was in the pickup zone no more than 2 minutes by the time the officer ran from his vehicle to mine
The officer gave you a gift. Pay the $30 and stop being an ________. You were clearly in the wrong making a dangerous maneuver and if the officer testifies the judge could easily change the charge to an infraction. Then where will you be.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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Quoting
spokanedriver
No rcw is referenced on the ticket, it is a notice of parking infraction ticket with the box checked as 16a.61.570.a.2.g.
I assume this happened at GEG. Section 16A.61.570(A)(2)(g) of the Spokane Municipal Code states as follows:
"Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall . . . stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger or passengers . . . in a no-parking area at Spokane International Airport as designated by the airport board."
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spokanedriver
My question is, was I in the legal wrong by reversing my vehicle against 1 way traffic for this distance?
Probably. What would make you think it's legal to drive the wrong way in reverse?
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spokanedriver
My vehicle was facing the correct direction, I was just in reverse gear.
Why don't you try the same thing on a freeway or city street and see how that goes? If you get pulled over, tell the cop that you were "facing in the correct direction" and see how he/she reacts.
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spokanedriver
Should I contest my ticket or just pony up the $30?
Well...you appear to have been cited for something you didn't do, but you did violate the law, and it's only $30....
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
I really am sorry if I dated your daughters and did them wrong, I was young at a point in my life and maybe treated you and them wrong.
With that said... these responses are a bit off. I asked for answers to a question, as is the design of this forum, and got some offhand rude results. If you don't want to answer, then don't.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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spokanedriver
I really am sorry if I dated your daughters and did them wrong, I was young at a point in my life and maybe treated you and them wrong.
With that said... these responses are a bit off. I asked for answers to a question, as is the design of this forum, and got some offhand rude results. If you don't want to answer, then don't.
You did get answers, though. You were told that you were likely in the wrong, that going in reverse, 75m no less, probably constitutes driving the wrong way on a one way regardless of which way your car was facing and that $30 is a serious break as compared to the cost of a moving violation/infraction.
At the end of the day you can do what you want. You don't have to agree with the answers you receive.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
The way you describe it, I don't think the backing up was a violation. "(1) The driver of a vehicle shall not back the same unless such movement can be made with safety and without interfering with other traffic." However, as searcher99 quoted it, standing for even 2 minutes without picking up anyone seems too long at that spot. You may want to give it a shot, though. Don't bring up backing up.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
Okay, I'll play your game.
was I in the legal wrong by reversing my vehicle against 1 way traffic for this distance? My vehicle was facing the correct direction, I was just in reverse gear. Yes. You were legally in the wrong by reversing your vehicle in one way traffic. The point is not what direction you were facing, but what direction you were going. You were going the wrong way, no matter which way you were facing.
Should I contest my ticket or just pony up the $30? You should pony up the $30. If you contest it you will lose, and probably have to pay a great deal more than the $30.
Okay? Does that better suit your idea of how this is played?
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
I have no problem with the information, if I was in the wrong I was in the wrong. It's answers like " stop being an ________. You were clearly in the wrong making a dangerous maneuver and if the officer testifies the judge could easily change the charge to an infraction. Then where will you be." or "Probably. What would make you think it's legal to drive the wrong way in reverse?" or even "Why don't you try the same thing on a freeway or city street and see how that goes? If you get pulled over, tell the cop that you were "facing in the correct direction" and see how he/she reacts." that are pointless
But answers like "The way you describe it, I don't think the backing up was a violation. "(1) The driver of a vehicle shall not back the same unless such movement can be made with safety and without interfering with other traffic." However, as searcher99 quoted it, standing for even 2 minutes without picking up anyone seems too long at that spot. You may want to give it a shot, though. Don't bring up backing up." are great. They tell me I was in the wrong, and don't make it a childish response.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
IMO what's childish is thinking you have anything remotely like a defense to use in contesting this ticket. IMO you are so clearly in the wrong that I can't even imagine why you would think you could successfully contest it, and the other responses you received reflect that.
But to each his own.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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Quoting
spokanedriver
With that said... these responses are a bit off. I asked for answers to a question, as is the design of this forum, and got some offhand rude results. If you don't want to answer, then don't.
Speaking only for myself, how do you figure my prior response was "a bit off"?
You asked two questions: (1) were you "in the legal wrong by reversing [your] vehicle against 1 way traffic;" and (2) "Should I contest my ticket or just pony up the $30?"
The second question calls for a value judgment and is, to some extent, influenced by the likely result of contesting the ticket. I suggested that contesting a $30 ticket for something you didn't apparently do when you almost certainly did commit a violation might not be a good idea. As for the first question, while my direct answer was "probably," I think it's safe to say that it's far more than probable.
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spokanedriver
It's answers like ["adjusterjack's" response] that are pointless
I don't disagree, but if you objected only to "adjusterjack's" response, you should have been clear about that, rather than lumping all of the first three responses together.
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
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pg1067
Probably. What would make you think it's legal to drive the wrong way in reverse?
Well, you always drive "the wrong way" if you drive in reverse. So are you then claiming backing up is always illegal? If so, you are clearly, absolutely and demonstrably wrong . Or are you saying that, if one wants to back up, they can only do so on a two-way street, driving on their left, so as to be moving in the same direction as the other vehicles on that half of the roadway? Sounds absolutely ridiculous to me, if you can quote here a law confirming that, all the power to you. :highly_amused::highly_amused::highly_amused:
Re: Airport Gave Parking Ticket Rather Than Infraction Ticket, Can I Fight
There's a difference in what a reasonable person would consider "backing" as the law describes it and driving 75 meters in reverse.