Ticketed for a traffic violation in a Wal-Mart parking lot?

[Antonia]

My DDIL was just ticketed in a Wal-Mart parking lot for failure to come to a complete stop at one of those painted on the pavement "STOP" signs at our local Wal-Mart!
It just seems the local police would have something better to do than get Wal-Mart shoppers grazing the parking lot for a parking space!

 

[Janepod]

Anyone who blows a stop sign anywhere should be ticketed.

 

[Reddy]

hmmm that is crazy
my sister had someone hit her car & the cops wouldn't do a thing about it since it was private parking lot

 

[Hannathy]

She needs to check the laws, not sure if that is an official stop. Like where I live the painted handicap symbol on the cement isn't official, only if it is marked by a sign on a post or wall.

 

[Albort]

You might be able to fight that... I remember that a stop sign needs to have a sign because it might be too unclear on the ground. Though, i not like SUPER sure that thats the law...

take a picture of it, if the writing on the ground is very hard to see, u can probably win in court too...

 

[phorsenuf]

My DDIL was just ticketed in a Wal-Mart parking lot for failure to come to a complete stop at one of those painted on the pavement "STOP" signs at our local Wal-Mart!
It just seems the local police would have something better to do than get Wal-Mart shoppers grazing the parking lot for a parking space!

Is it possible it was at one of the pedestrian crossings? Maybe someone was in the walkway when she went through it?

 

[babyrich]

My DH tells me it doesnt matter that there was no sign, its called a Stop Bar and you have to come to a complete stop. Sorry.

The cop could be there because of complaints of people not coming to a complete stop.

They had a similar problem where my DH works. There were complaints about drivers not giving the right of way to pedestrians in the cross walk. So a cop was posted there, they handed out a bunch of tickets. Just the police presence helped out.

I do agree that if the painting was light and she couldnt see it, you may have a reason to fight it. My friend fought a ticket because a tree was blocking the stop sign and she didnt see it and went through. She ended up winning and the town trimmed the tree.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

She drove through an stop line and violated the law, sure she probably will get it reduced, but she broke the law and I see no issues with her being ticketed for it. I'm sure the police officer wasn't just sitting there waiting for someone to do it, rather saw it in the midst of doing something else, and as a police officer, was obligated to enforce the law.

 

[DaisyLynn]

hmmm that is crazy
my sister had someone hit her car & the cops wouldn't do a thing about it since it was private parking lot

Same thing happened to my mother. She was going up a marked lane in the correct direction and another vehicle blew through the parking lot, across the aisles. She hit my mom's car and totaled it. Police were called, there were witnesses. No one could be ruled at fault because it was on private property. My mother was responsible for the damage to her vehicle.

I'm all for ticketing those who violate the law. I just can't understand why those in accidents in parking lots can't be protected. Maybe it depends on where you live.

 

[scrapquitler]

My DDIL was just ticketed in a Wal-Mart parking lot for failure to come to a complete stop at one of those painted on the pavement "STOP" signs at our local Wal-Mart!
It just seems the local police would have something better to do than get Wal-Mart shoppers grazing the parking lot for a parking space!

In my town, the police do not issue tickets for traffic violations that happen on private property. They won't even come to take an accident report for a fender bender in a parking lot unless there are injuries.

 

[spacemountainmom]

hmmm that is crazy
my sister had someone hit her car & the cops wouldn't do a thing about it since it was private parking lot

The same thing happened to my mom in the grocery store parking lot. I thought it was really stupid.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

hmmm that is crazy
my sister had someone hit her car & the cops wouldn't do a thing about it since it was private parking lot

Yep...My DH got "reverse t-boned" in the parking lot at work on March 12th. He was driving in the driving lane and a guy in a delivery truck backed out of his space without looking. Completely smashed the rear driver's side door of DH's SUV. The cop wrote all of their info on an official form and gave them each a copy, but wouldn't ticket anyone or do an investigation because a parking lot is private property.

Which stinks, because of course the delivery truck company's insurance is trying to get out of paying for the damages...

 

[TinkPirateMom]

My DH is a police officer and the WalMart in the town he works actually pays the township to have a police presence on their property on the weekends. It is considered a side job which means it is paid for by the company and does not take an on duty officer off of their patrol. So perhaps the officer was doing exactly what he was paid to be doing and did not have "something better to do".

 

[Antonia]

It was pouring rain. The painting on the pavement was faded and she could not really see the stop bar. I even drove up there while on an errand and I could not see the stop bar. The glare of the rain on the wet pavement mede it impossible to see. And there was no sign on a post.

 

[sissy_ib]

It was pouring rain. The painting on the pavement was faded and she could not really see the stop bar. I even drove up there while on an errand and I could not see the stop bar. The glare of the rain on the wet pavement mede it impossible to see. And there was no sign on a post.

Go take a picture of it. That will help you to fight it. Take pictures of just the pavement, photos showing the entire area and a picture with the pavement and a newspaper to prove the date.

 

[kaytieeldr]

It was pouring rain. The painting on the pavement was faded and she could not really see the stop bar. I even drove up there while on an errand and I could not see the stop bar. The glare of the rain on the wet pavement mede it impossible to see. And there was no sign on a post.

Ticket aside, is there a valid reason she didn't come to a complete stop at the end of an aisle where - apparently - other traffic had the right of way?

 

[TurkA77]

I got a snow parking ban ticket 2 weeks ago. Its the first one I have ever received, I just forgot my car was not on the sidewalk.

For the record, it hasn't snowed where I live in well over a month, probably closer to 2 months and the temperature was 72 degrees that day. It had been 80 most of that week. I understand I broker the law, but seriously, common sense needs to take over at some point. No doubt the cop that wrote the ticket has driven past my car dozens to 100s of times and its always been on the sidewalk,so he knows its something I just forgot to do. Unfortunately he was probably just bored that night. It was only $15, but its the principle of receiving a ticket for breaking a snow ban, when everyone is complaining about getting sunburned!!!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

If ddil admits she didn't stop then she should receive the ticket. I don't think she is saying she didn't see stop written on the ground, it doesn't seem right to say she didn't just to get out of paying the ticket.

 

[Tammi67]

And just how many times has she been in that Wal-Mart parking lot, driving over that stop bar?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I got a snow parking ban ticket 2 weeks ago. Its the first one I have ever received, I just forgot my car was not on the sidewalk.

For the record, it hasn't snowed where I live in well over a month, probably closer to 2 months and the temperature was 72 degrees that day. It had been 80 most of that week. I understand I broker the law, but seriously, common sense needs to take over at some point. No doubt the cop that wrote the ticket has driven past my car dozens to 100s of times and its always been on the sidewalk,so he knows its something I just forgot to do. Unfortunately he was probably just bored that night. It was only $15, but its the principle of receiving a ticket for breaking a snow ban, when everyone is complaining about getting sunburned!!!

City or town council. Not to throw out the ticket - the law's the law - but to get the law changed. Add some type of amendment: "...except when the temperature is over X degrees for three consecutive nights and is predicted to remain at or above that level...".

This being New England, and this winter being an anomaly, and there being snow in today's forecast (and recalling the 1996 April Fool's Day snowstorm, and the time it snowed around Mother's Day), and the tons of snow we had just last year, that's not likely to happen - but you won't know until you try!

eta: I'm relatively sure the cop wasn't bored, I don't think they're allowed to selectively enforce the law.