Apparently the only way to appeal is to plead "Not guilty" and go to court (and pay court fines if you fail). Not worth the effort for me.

Basically, yes.

I'm aware that I broke the law by parking in these zones, despite the fact that I've parked in them dozens of times before without issue. I know that doesn't excuse it and I should probably pay on the basis of that alone. I always just assumed they didn't enforce the signs because no other rules are being broken.

If I violated anything it looks like it would be NJ code 39-4-138g, which prohibits parking "In any appropriately marked "No Parking" space established pursuant to the duly promulgated regulations of the Commissioner of Transportation".

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2009/title-39/39-4/39-4-138

Honestly I'm probably just going to pay it. I have a feeling I'd win as long as the ticketing officer doesn't show up, but I don't think it's worth the effort and risk and time off work. I did something wrong regardless.

I've lived downtown for over a year and have never really had a problem with parking until recently. I have a residential parking permit and commute to work via car, so I don't have to worry about street cleaning rules.

In the past week, I've received two separate overnight tickets under Jersey City's code "332-22", which you can read below:

https://library.municode.com/nj/jersey ... IIIPASTST_S332-22PAPRALTI

Basically it lists out several designated areas where parking is not allowed at any time. Important to note that the spots I parked (both around the corner of 9th and Jersey) are NOT listed under this code, and they are spots I've parked in many times before without trouble.

However, strictly speaking, I was in violation of certain "NO PARKING ANY TIME -->" signs. The first one, my car was fully in a "NO PARKING ANY TIME" zone. The second one, my car was less than halfway in the zone. Both times, I was not blocking any driveways, fire hydrants, bus stops, or crosswalks. I figured these tickets were not worth fighting because I was in violation of these signs, so I didn't take any pictures.

But now that I think about it, why was I written up for a 332-22 if I didn't violate any of the rules spelled out in the code itself? Is it worth fighting for this reason, especially considering the ticket doesn't say anything about the signs? The tickets clearly state where the violations occurred, which I could plainly show the judge are NOT in the areas listed in code 332-22. The question is if it's even worth my time and risking having to pay court fees and taking time off of work.

(Worth noting that in both of these spots, they have pylons set up which I always assumed were to deter people from parking too close to the intersection. I also incorrectly assumed that these pylons would form the effective barrier after which you can be ticketed. The answer is nope, the pylons don't designate anything and the sign apparently rules supreme. The locations of the pylons mean nothing.)