# Did I deserve a tow, or do they deserve Death Row? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867 "2004-03-23T06:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bookbuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9bd4f/32.png) [@bookbuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookbuster)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867/1 "2004-03-23T06:33:12Z")
Sign says No Stopping, 11 p.m. - 6 a.m. No Stopping? I ask myself… What could that possibly mean? Is the sign talking to me, or the alley way right next to me? Maybe it is just talking about the traffic in general. So as a semi-logical person I decided to look for more evidence. On the **parking meter** specifically assigned to my spot there is a clear statement. No Parking 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. I am going to be here from 10:30 p.m. - 2:00 am. Perfect right? Well at 2:00 a.m. I turned the corner to see my car gone. $184 later I got my piece of shit car back, it is probably worth about $184 book value. Now, am I retarded, or does the use of the language “No Stopping” as a replacement for the traditional “No Parking” unnecessarily cause confusion? Am I retarded or should the sign and the words on the parking meter be consistent? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867/2 "2004-03-23T06:47:58Z")
Yes. No parking means you cannot park and leave the car there. No stopping means you cannot park there **AND** you cannot stop there to wait for someone. (A hooker perhaps?) No stopping is more restrictive than no parking. So from the info posted You cannot stop or park there during the hours of 11PM-6AM You cannot park there between 6AM-7AM and the hours of 4PM and 6PM You may park there between the hours of 7AM-4PM, and 6PM and 11PM. (assuming you feed the parking meter of course) Is this that hard to understand? 😕 [hijack]Woot! post #1300[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867/3 "2004-03-23T06:56:25Z")
I think that what **Rick** just said makes perfect sense and should be posted on a sign which is larger than either of the others. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867/4 "2004-03-23T09:24:34Z")
Well it’s pretty much impossible to park _without_ stopping, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-deserve-a-tow-or-do-they-deserve-death-row/235867/5 "2004-03-23T11:57:24Z")
There’s also “no standing” signs. from the NYS DMV > [@](#): > > What people generally understand as “parking” is legally divided into three categories: parking, standing and stopping. > > A NO PARKING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers. > > A NO STANDING sign means you may stop only temporarily to load or unload passengers. > > A NO STOPPING sign means you may stop only in order to obey a traffic sign, signal or officer, or to avoid conflicts with other vehicles. The no stopping sign must be newer than the parking meters, because of the 4am-6am overlap, but if there’s a no stopping/standing sign, don’t ever leave your car there. No stopping signs are generally taken pretty seriously, since they’re the strictest and not used all that often.