The massive snowverwhelming sure was fun while it lasted, but with the bulk of the snow mountains now whittled down to obstinate snow hills, the Man says it's time to move your car so plows can get to the curb—and so that ticket agents can write up those who still can't get it out. On Monday, after a two week hiatus, the alternate-side parking rules were in full effect, and traffic cops were out with a vengeance. 9,910 tickets were written citywide, almost double the average 5,460 alternate side violations issued on a typical day! more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Sometimes the NYPD's inanity is so perfect, so immaculately risible, that you just want to burst into applause and toss a bouquet of roses onto the hood of a squad car. Today is one of those days. According to a tipster, a cop parked in the bike lane on First Avenue near 23rd Street proceeded to write tickets for cyclists who weren't using the bike lane, because they had to ride around him to get by. This is presumably part of the new crackdown on scofflaw cyclists, and hey—sometimes you have to destroy a bike lane in order to save it. (How come there's never a clown cop around when you need one?) Our source says: more ›

If you're one of those people who must chat or—gasp—even text on the cell phone while driving, you better watch out today: The NYPD is cracking down on people who are using handheld cell phones in their cars. Which means chatting on headsets is okay, but Twittering is not. The boys in blue will hand out $130 fines for the transgressions—last October, the NYPD issued over 7,500 tickets. more ›

Cyclists are chafing at what some say is a ticket blitz on bike riders in downtown Brooklyn, focusing on the heavy intersection of Tillary and Adams, by the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. "I have witnessed two sting operations set up at Tillary and Adams," Park Slope resident Paul White, a personal injury lawyer and cyclist, tells the Brooklyn Paper "They were ticketing slews of people who were riding [outside the bike lane] on Adams." New York law says cyclists "should" ride in a lane if one is available, except when making a turn or when the lane is blocked. But because of traffic congestion, the latter is often the case on Adams, and some cyclists say the NYPD is exploiting that. more ›

On January 29th, TLC agents began enforcing strict new laws and penalties for cab drivers who use hand held electronic devices and cell phones—even hands-free! Since the crackdown began, the city has ticketed 704 taxi drivers, with the first offense carrying a hefty $200 fine. But has the ticket blitz gone too far? more ›

It's another NYPD ticket blitz! According to the Post, the NYPD has issued 55% more car seat violations over the first 10 months of 2009 vs. 2008. Cops "wrote 4,160 tickets for car-seat violations in the first 10 months of this year -- or 14 per day" (back in 2008, it was an average of nine violations/day). NY State law requires children 4 and under to ride in safety seats and children must be in booster seats until age 8; fines start at $50. A Park Slope mom approved of the crackdown, "Cops are here for our safety. It's important, especially when it comes to our children." more ›

Round Two of the NYPD's smackdown on drivers using cell phones for phone calls, texting and emails fell short of the over 9,000 tickets that went out during March's one-day sting. But the city almost certainly cracked the seven-figure mark once again during Thursday's 24-hour ticket blitz, issuing 7,432 tickets at $130 a piece ($200 for cab drivers). Could a 15% drop mean that New Yorker drivers have begun to curb their cellphone usage? Or are they just paying closer attention when the NYPD publicly alerts them to the fact that thirteen times as many tickets will be given out that day? A Daily News writer gives a account of getting nailed for using her Blackberry while driving by Ground Zero on Thursday, taking us through the play-by-play of what getting a ticket is like: "I handed over my license and registration, sat patiently for a few minutes, then took my lumps without saying a word." more ›

Since the city's tax revenue has plummeted, with the stock market and the fortunes of Wall Street, the Staten Island Advance notices, "The city plans to collect a record $900 million in fines during the upcoming fiscal year, which begins next week, according to budget estimates," thanks to fines like "A $25 fine from Sanitation for failing to comply with the city's recycling regulations. A $250 summons from Parks for not stopping to 'scoop the poop' from your pet. A $200 fine from Consumer Affairs for leaving your shop store open while the air conditioning is running, and a $250 ticket from a traffic agent for leaving your engine running while you run into that store." Restaurant violations are up from $27 million last year to $38 million this coming budget year, but the big money maker is parking fines, which may rack up $600 million this year. Sari Kingsley, a recent victim of the ticket blitz, said she got her ticket minutes after parking outside her office, with the traffic agent claiming it had been there for over two hours; Kingsley said, "It's beyond just enforcement. It's harassment." more ›

After a day-long ticket blitz, the NYPD issued 9,016 tickets to drivers using their cellphones—all this in spite of the cops essentially warning people earlier this week that they'd be out in force. more ›