People v. Ressanen
People v. Ressanen
Opinion of the Court
Defendant was charged with violating subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 of the Traffic Regulations of the City of New York in that “ on May 6th, 1952 between 12:35 P.M. and M., the defendant * * * did park a vehicle * * * On the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street. (Double parking) ”.
The facts are not in dispute. The police officer who issued the summons to defendant was the only one to testify. He stated that on May 6, 1952, at about 12:35 p.m. defendant “ drove up and double parked [his Mack truck] in front of 132-06 Crossbay Boulevard.” On the defendant’s offer of proof the court found that the space available for defendant’s truck alongside the curb, during the time defendant was engaged in unloading, was not sufficiently long for him to occupy, even though a space had been created by a vehicle which had been parked at the curb and had moved away while defendant was delivering his merchandise. It was conceded that the defendant had not received permission from the police officer to place his truck at an angle to the curb in the limited space available. The police officer testified, however, that defendant was, at the time he was given the summons, ‘ ‘ unloading his truck ’ ’ in the course of making a delivery and, further, that “ traffic continued to move along the boulevard ” while defendant’s truck was in the position described by him. There was no charge here of traffic obstruction (N. Y. City Traffic Regulations, art. 9, § 121) and consequently we are not concerned with and do not consider that problem. The sole issue presented is whether, on the undisputed facts herein, defendant was properly convicted of violating subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 of the regulations which provides:
“ Section 10. No person shall park a vehicle: * * * (o) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street. (Double parking.) ”
In order to determine whether that article has been transgressed it is necessary to ascertain what meaning has been ascribed to the word “ park ” as it appears therein. No definition is to be found in article 2 itself. However, paragraph (a) of subdivision 17 of section 1 of article 1 — which is entitled “ Definitions ”— declares:
“ The following terms when used in these regulations unless otherwise expressly stated, or unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires, shall be deemed to mean and include: * * *
“17. ‘ Park, parking, or parked ’ shall mean the stopping or standing of a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except as follows: (a) When actually and expeditiously engaged in loading or unloading merchandise ”.
It is not questioned that defendant was actually and expeditiously engaged in unloading merchandise. Therefore, he was without the operation of the regulation prohibiting double parking unless it can be said that there has been demonstrated an intent to confer upon the word “ park ” as used in subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 a different meaning than that given to it in paragraph (a) of subdivision 17 of section 1 of article 1 quoted above.
It has not been expressly declared that either the term “ park ” or “ parking ” as used in subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 is to include a vehicle which is stopped or standing even though actually and expeditiously engaged in loading or unloading merchandise. Does the context or subject matter of subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 require us to conclude that it was so intended? That is, does the word “ double ” change entirely the meaning of the word “ parking ” which it modifies? We find nothing in subdivision (o) of section 10 of article 2 to justify such a conclusion. Article 2 is entitled simply “ Parking ”. There is no reference to “ Double Parking ” in the heading. Section 10 thereof enumerates situations under which a person shall not “ park a vehicle.”
The District Attorney’s fear that a holding that this defendant was not double parked will enable persons legally to triple park or even park in the center of the street and thereby effectively tie up all traffic is without substance since there is a Traffic Regulation prohibiting traffic obstruction (art. 9, § 121).
The judgments should be reversed, the information dismissed and the fine remitted.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). The single question presented by this appeal is whether the provision contained in Article 1, § 1, subd. 17(a) of the Traffic Regulations of the City of New York — which section defines the words “ park, parking or parked ” and expressly excludes from such definition a vehicle 11 when actually and expeditiously engaged in loading or unloading merchandise” — also excludes vehicles, so engaged, from the prohibition of Article 2, § 10(o) against “ double parking.” As those two provisions of the regulations — quoted in full in the majority opinion — are inconsistent, our problem is one of interpretation.
While Article 1, § 1, subd. 17(a) authorizes a vehicle, actually engaged in loading or unloading merchandise, to park (i.e. to be set at rest parallel or at an angle to the curb) in locations where, or at hours of the day when, other vehicles may not lawfully do so, it does not, in my opinion, authorize a vehicle to “ double park ” (i.e. to park, not next to the curb, but on the roadway side of another vehicle already parked).
It is suggested that if defendant’s vehicle was double parked in such a position as to block traffic, then the operator could have been convicted of a violation of section 121 of article 9 of the regulations, which prohibits a vehicle from obstructing traffic. However, the present case furnishes precisely the answer to that suggestion: Defendant concededly was not, at the time he was served with summons, obstructing traffic and therefore was not violating section 121 of article 9.
The ban against double parking was obviously interposed as a measure to prevent obstruction of traffic, violation of that provision (id. art. 9, § 121) being in itself an offense. In
Concluding, as I do, that the Traffic Regulations involved have received proper interpretation by the courts below, I dissent and would affirm the judgment under review.
Fuld, Froessel and Van Voorhis, JJ., concur with Conway, J.; Lewis, Ch. J., dissents in opinion in which Desmond and Dye, JJ., concur.
Judgments reversed, etc.
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