Hey, shove over: Subway riders were hit with 8,700 tickets for taking up more than one seat last year – a 17% increase over the previous year.
NYPD cops hit riders with the tickets between January and November 2009 – 1,300 more than they issued for the offense in the same time period in 2008, according to new NYC Transit statistics.
The NYPD declined to explain the uptick or discuss why summonses for every other category either declined or were flat last year.
Riders like Adrian Johnson are smarting over a zero-tolerance approach by police and NYC Transit.
A 20-year-old college student who says he aspires to be a police officer, Johnson admits he reclined on a bench.
But he says it was nearly 2 a.m., he was exhausted and the G train station in Brooklyn was nearly empty.
The officer told Johnson the ticket would probably be tossed out by the Transit Adjudication Bureau, Johnson said.
An NYC Transit hearing officer upheld the summons this month and imposed a $50 fine.
“It’s not something I thought I would get fined for. It’s not something I think I should get fined for,” said Johnson.”
In a written decision, the hearing officer ruled Johnson didn’t provide “a legally recognizable defense.”
I got charged with this when I was visiting the States. I found it to be a great opportunity to learn about the American legal system in a fun, hands-on way. My thanks to the NYPD, and may you be matzliach in keeping up this good work.
This is ridiculous. Reclining in an empty car shouldn’t be an offense.