How much disabled parking ticket fine is reduced to?

[liveontheehge]

I got a disabled parking ticket $450 in Toronto while i was standing on the spot for just one minute and there was 3 other disabled spots right next to mine.
Looks like there is no way out except to plead guilty with explanation in court and hope to have fine reduced.
Does anyone know as how much it is reduced to in general?

[kiwi]

Yeah, that's a big ticket fine. From reading here, the courts don't take kindly to this parking abuse. You maybe able to get it reduced. Have a search here, I'm sure it's been posted before

[just_luc]

when you say standing.. you mean you where in the vehicle and it was running? and you got a ticket rather then being told to move along? or did you park and leave the vehicle for that one minute and had the ticket when you returned?

[RetroGrouch]

They are reduced to $150 at court.

[Sushii]

when you say standing.. you mean you where in the vehicle and it was running? and you got a ticket rather then being told to move along? or did you park and leave the vehicle for that one minute and had the ticket when you returned?

Some people get a ticket just for backing into it to do a 3 point turn in a tight parking lot.

[HunGJaI]

Buddy got his reduced to $100-$150 that was in Markham....he give some BS excuse...

[frekeyguy]

I got one in Toronto....submitted to fight it, it got thrown out. Got reduced to nothing..

[daught]

If you are going to court why don't you request disclosure and all that and try to beat it. http://www.ticketcombat.com/parking/parking.php

[Irocian]

In Toronto saw many reduced to $150 or less even to $0 when the people said sorry and they learned the lesson.

[Rossi86]

There was an interesting trial I saw last month when I went to court. A guy had a disabled parking ticket for just standing there while he was in the car, the car was still running, and it was after mall hours <-- the cop confirmed all of this in his testimony. When the cop was on the stand the guy asked him "what is your definition of parking?" The cop very nervously said "parking the car in a spot, turning it off and getting out". The guy replied "but I didn't turn it off or leave" the J.P easily closed him down "well, that's the officers definition of parking. Parking means stopping and standing with the exception of stopping for red lights or stop signs". So he didn't get off the hook, it got reduced to 150.

[liveontheehge]

Thanks guys for all the answers. I am releived as this site returned with many helpfull and humanly responses, i would have been beaten down to the ground if this kind of question was posted at some other website.

when you say standing.. you mean you where in the vehicle and it was running? and you got a ticket rather then being told to move along? or did you park and leave the vehicle for that one minute and had the ticket when you returned?

It happened at Eglinton and Laird outdoor mall (where Bestbuy is). I was sitting inside the car but the engine was off and expecting to stand there just for around 5 mins as i picked up my wife from work (she was sick that evening so i parked closer to save her from walking long distance while in pain.
The officer was sitting in an unmarked car a distance behind, he probably saw me pulled into the spot and never left the car, so he gambled and wrote the ticket without checking if i had the permit or not. He raced to my car from behind and slapped it on windshield and walked back to his unmarked car and drove away. For a moment I thought he was an off-duty officer or a mall security guard, but checking the ticket showing he has an officer number.
It's long gone those days when officer telling you to move along when driver was in the car; officer of today uses element of surprise together with unmarked car to catch you before you even know.
I wonder if an off-duty officer can write parking ticket, the city would be richer.

They are reduced to $150 at court.

Buddy got his reduced to $100-$150 that was in Markham....he give some BS excuse...

In Toronto saw many reduced to $150 or less even to $0 when the people said sorry and they learned the lesson.

Thank you. It's the info i was looking for.

If you are going to court why don't you request disclosure and all that and try to beat it. http://www.ticketcombat.com/parking/parking.php

Ticketcombat is an excellent site for fighting ticket, but the parking ticket fighting section on there is too technical and the line of defense is unheard of, it may be for someone like a paralegal, not for me. The JP would laugh at me if i use that line and if i lose it'll be a total fine of $450.
I'll pay $150 and learn my lesson.

[Rob MacLennan]

There was an interesting trial I saw last month when I went to court. A guy had a disabled parking ticket for just standing there while he was in the car, the car was still running, and it was after mall hours <-- the cop confirmed all of this in his testimony. When the cop was on the stand the guy asked him "what is your definition of parking?" The cop very nervously said "parking the car in a spot, turning it off and getting out". The guy replied "but I didn't turn it off or leave" the J.P easily closed him down "well, that's the officers definition of parking. Parking means stopping and standing with the exception of stopping for red lights or stop signs". So he didn't get off the hook, it got reduced to 150.

Actually that whole exchange was immaterial, as it is illegal to either stop OR stand in an accessible parking spot, unless you have a valid placard. This is something people just don't seem to understand. It doesn't matter if you're in your car and the engine is running; the charge is the same.

[RetroGrouch]

It's long gone those days when officer telling you to move along when driver was in the car; officer of today uses element of surprise together with unmarked car to catch you before you even know.

Illegal handicap parking is a fat, juicy ticket. Of course he's gonna ambush you without warning. It's not about right or wrong, it's about collecting the fines. The $450 penalty is unnecessarily high and that's why the judges automatically reduce it.

[Rob MacLennan]

Illegal handicap parking is a fat, juicy ticket. Of course he's gonna ambush you without warning. It's not about right or wrong, it's about collecting the fines. The $450 penalty is unnecessarily high and that's why the judges automatically reduce it.

Actually it IS about right or wrong, but I agree that the fine is unnecessarily high.

[Bandit Bill]

Illegal handicap parking is a fat, juicy ticket. Of course he's gonna ambush you without warning. It's not about right or wrong, it's about collecting the fines. The $450 penalty is unnecessarily high and that's why the judges automatically reduce it.

It certainly is about right or wrong.

I have just spent the past 6 months dealing with a physical disability/surgery that made use of handicapped spots a necessity.

In even the limited amount of opportunities i was actually able to leave the house in that period of time and drive/be driven around for necessary outings, i couldn't believe the amount of ignorance that i observed from supposedly able-bodied motorists using these as a parking place of convenience, even when it's painfully obvious that they are inconveniencing legitimate people in need of these spaces.

There was one time that i just lost it on some joker who ran up on a handicapped space *tight* up against my vehicle just as i was trying to get out of it - he was parked up on the hashed out portion of the handicapped space meant for wheelchair ramp access - and blocking the ramped portion of the curb to boot. His sputtering excuse? 'I'm only going into the bank for a minute?!'. If i could have raised my leg high enough without toppling over - both him and his car would have been physically assaulted at that particular moment of time.

If you or a significant other are feeling 'sick'.. you don't qualify, sorry.

Even if you are mentally challenged and can't figure out the meaning of the 8 foot round wheelchair symbol painted on the parking spot, you don't qualify, sorry.

Plain and simple, if you don't have a valid, dated handicapped parking placard.. you don't qualify, sorry. Not even if 'just for a minute'. Park elsewhere, and walk from/wait at from where your able-bodied arse belongs.

There should be a high cost/fine directly related to ignorance/disrespect towards others. Call it an anti "ME ME ME! first"/idiot tax.

[liveontheehge]

Legally I was wrong standing there as i did not have a permit.
People at all ages make mistake of all kind everyday, if a parking officer (and city counsel) shows no mercy for my mistake, he/she should get the the full punishment as well when he/she makes mistake.
We are in the society where one is out to get the other, don't we?


I got a $15 parking ticket a few months back for the offense "parking longer than 3 hours". As evidence showed the parking officer deliberately and wronfully issued the ticket so the ticket was quashed after the investigation of parking authority. Why did he cheat? Is he retarded?


I ended up spending more time and effort to get the ticket quashed than just paid the $15.
I pay heavy fine for parking in a wrong spot. Did this parking officer also pay a heavy punishment when he commited fraud/corrupted/mistake. Like Bandit Bill said "There should be a high cost/fine directly related to ignorance/disrespect/corrupt (added) towards others". Call it an anti "ME ME ME! first"/corrupt tax.
In this case "breach of trust" is a serious offence, what the parking officer got maybe a slap on the wrist at max. It's the usual fine for the powerfull.

[short stop]

It looks like you've gotten some decent advice here - fight the ticket and you'll likely get it lowered. But I think it's disingenuous for you to say it was a 'mistake', unless you didn't realize that you were standing in a handicapped space. It's probably more like: I parked there knowing it was not allowed but hoping/not expecting to get caught. And lots of people do this every day when they park, but then get upset when they eventually get nailed for it.

I do agree the fine is pretty high, so I'd fight it too. But don't fault someone for doing their job when you knew full well what you were doing.

[Rob MacLennan]

There actually is one thing, that no one else has mentioned. Was the spot properly signed, as per the city's bylaws.

[turbodish]

Legally I was wrong standing there as i did not have a permit.
People at all ages make mistake of all kind everyday, if a parking officer (and city counsel) shows no mercy for my mistake, he/she should get the the full punishment as well when he/she makes mistake.
We are in the society where one is out to get the other, don't we?

Yes, people do make mistakes every day, but not all mistakes are the same. There are three basic types of "mistakes".

• Honest mistakes, where someone does wrong completely inadvertently and without intention to do so. There is no intent to commit offence and there is no unacceptable measure of carelessness or ignorance of responsibility involved. This kind of mistake can be rectified with simple education and counselling.
• Negligent mistakes, where someone does wrong through unacceptable carelessness and/or ignorance of responsibility. This "might" be worthy of warning and education, and depending on degree of negligence, fines ranging from easy to stiff.
• Deliberate mistakes, where you know something is wrong and then you go ahead and do it anyways. Many would argue that this is no mistake at all, but a deliberate choice where there should be no forgiveness in most cases, and where full punishment should be warranted and imposed without any hesitation. Do the crime, do the time.

So if you knew the spot was a disabled parking spot, then how would you characterize your choice to use it even though you had no valid cause to do so? And if your choice was deliberate, why should you expect forgiveness or just a warning?

[Bandit Bill]

I think you are objecting to the ticket, more due to the unexpected high cost of the offense, than a pleading of ignorance of the bylaws which states no parking allowed except by disabled permit.

Ask yourself this.

1. Would you have knowingly parked there, if the fine was 'merely' $30.00 or so?

2. Would you take the risk again in that convenient spot to pick up your 'ailing wife', knowing that the fine is 'merely' $30.00 and the priority of enforcement is relatively low, and the chances of being caught are also low?

3. What if there was three more of you waiting for their 'ailing wives'/their kid coming off shift at bestbuy who is afraid of the dark/etc etc. at about the same time? Would it come down to an excuse for you, of "if they can, why not me?" .. what about the legitimate users who would then find the lot full of apparently mentally-challenged but able-bodied 'standers' taking the spaces up for only five minutes of time??

3. At what price point does a fine stop being a minor inconvenience for you, and become something that is a serious deterrent to be mindful of, to avoid in the future?

4. If the 'traffic cop' just shooed you off - where is the negative reinforcement to stop you from doing so again - would you just say "Yeah, whatever..." move along, and do it again somewhere else/sometime else, like i suspect you would?


Ignorance of either the by-laws that are in force, or a lack of knowlege of the fines associated with infractions thereof, are not valid defenses in the courts .. you willingly chose to take the risk, you got caught, and you assumed the penalty associated with it. There was no entrapment, or 'corrupt traffic cops' involved here. Only you, and a bad choice made willingly, and ignorantly.

Newsflash. In the past, those who are NOT entitled to park in those permit parking spots have abused those spot's relative convenience so much, that the fines related to that sort of infraction are as high as they are now. Offenders have only themselves to blame for it. Not the 'parking police' or the bylaw enforcement units. Also, that 'traffic cop' probably watched you from the moment that you pulled in. Seat-belt checks aren't the only sort of 'blitzes' of high-enforcement duties that are performed, and rightfully so.

Own it, live and learn, and don't do it again. Your $15.00 parking ticket saga in the past, has absolutely nothing to do with it.