Over the weekend I was in Seattle to meet up with a friend. If anyone lives or has been through the great city of Seattle, or any decent sized city, you know that finding parking is like that scene in Total Recall when Arnold pulls the bug out of his nose. Anyway, it was about 15 minutes before the meters turned off for free evening parking, so I was purposely wasting time driving and passing up good spots. Then I realized, Ahhh! It’s Sunday, parking is free all day! So I pulled into the next spot I found, locked up, and had a good time. And even if I would have gone to pay, the meter would’ve let me know what’s up. That one’s easy.
But many of us unwillingly commit various crimes of traffic, and don’t realize it until we see that beautiful white envelope stuck beneath our wiper. I need to perform a service, and hey, maybe this’ll save some of you some needed cash. So here are 5 of the most common parking (non-moving) violations that you might don’t know about.
Parking Violation #1: Parking too close to a crosswalk, corner, intersection, stop sign, etc.
This one’s pretty simple, just read the signage and be aware of the necessary distance between you and whatever you may be blocking. Cities like New Orleans, with major festivals like Mardi Gras, necessitate a 20 foot distance between any crosswalks, intersections, or stop signs- primarily for safety reasons. Rumor has it people tend to enjoy a snifter of gin on occasion down there.
Parking Violation #2: Parking on wrong side of road or alternative-side parking
Most cities state that vehicles must be parked in the direction of the flow of traffic, on either side of the street. And some areas go further by utilizing alternative-side parking, for both flow and city works purposes. Alternative-side parking can come and go, so thankfully most cities have some sort of calendar to let you know when it’s in effect.
Parking Violation #3: Leaving Your Car Downtown Overnight
You plan on driving home, but for whatever reason (booze), you have to leave your car and then forget or can’t get back in time to feed the morning meter charge. Many cities also state that you can’t park anywhere longer than 24 consecutive hours. Used to be, there was nothing your aching head could do, but some cities, like Seattle, are taking initiative and preaching safety at the same time: After parking at night, you can purchase a sticker that extends your free time until 10 AM the next morning. And if you still can’t retrieve your car by then, here’s hoping the fun was worth the fine.
Parking Violation #4: Parking on the sidewalk
This one’s not as easy as it sounds. It’s pretty much universal that ANY portion of the sidewalk is prohibited, even if said sidewalk looks like part of your driveway. Take a look at San Francisco’s version, VC22500F. I’m sure many of you get away with this on a regular basis, but it’s a $105 fine, so don’t say I didn’t warn you, tough guys.
Also, watch out for bike lanes, because you might run into this guy.
Parking Violation #5: No Standing
I’m driving, what does this even mean? City street signs can be intimidating, especially when you’re unfamiliar with the area and they seem to make no sense. The No Standing rule (code 14), courtesy of the mean streets of New York, simply means that you can stop temporarily to drop someone off or pick someone up, that’s it. It’s like a No Loitering sign for your vehicle, so leave promptly or it’s a $115 idle. Speaking of big city streets, watch for these arrows, because the regulation continues in the direction of said arrow(s) until the next posted sign. So even if you’re not in right in front of a posting, you’re still liable.
And remember, if you get one of those You Park Like an @$& tickets, it’s not official. You’re probably just a jerk.
