"New Parking Rules taking effect in Los Angeles"
Please be advised that LADOT has begun issuing warning tickets to people who park or have been parking on the Driveway aprons effective Monday August 22, 2011; This "warning period" will end on August 28th at which time LADOT will begin to issue citations for this DMV code violation. This enforcement is part of an effort to keep sidewalks accessible to all people, following provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Tickets for apron parking will be $58, and if a resident receives more than five citations, the vehicle will be towed, according to LADOT. In regards to the City working on a new policy, the City Council voted on August 19th to instruct the Department of Transportation along with the City Attorney to (1) report back regarding potential State legislation on correct apron parking and (2) creation of a program that would be ADA compliant that would allow for apron parking. This report back will likely be heard in late September/early October. Until then, we advise you NOT PARK in your driveway apron, blocking the sidewalk."
What they are referring to as the "apron" is actually the "parkway": the area between the street and the sidewalk. Not all parkways are the same. Some are extra wide, some are extra narrow. So depending on what neighborhood you live in, parking in the apron could be a nuisance or a benefit to you. For example, if you live in the hills with tight streets then a car parked in the parkway could be obstructing your sidewalk and street as well. But most people who park in their parkways are able to fit their car in such a way that the sidewalk and street are not obstructed. In front of my house, we can fit our cars in our parkway without the tires touching the street or the sidewalk. Around the corner from us, cars parked in the parkway will stick out in the street, no further then the parallel parked cars, and at the same time not be touching the sidewalk.
Whatever the case, two thing are certain: 1) A lot of people park in parkways in Los Angeles, and 2) Los Angeles has more residents with cars than available street parking spaces. This new policy will be affecting all residents who live in densely populated neighborhoods (i.e. like, all of us) even those without parkways because the thousands of people who park in parkways will now have to park on the street.
But what about residents with disabilities? After all, the newsletter did mention the entire reason LADOT is initiating this policy is because they are trying to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Or so they say.
Please be advised that LADOT has begun issuing warning tickets to people who park or have been parking on the Driveway aprons effective Monday August 22, 2011; This "warning period" will end on August 28th at which time LADOT will begin to issue citations for this DMV code violation. This enforcement is part of an effort to keep sidewalks accessible to all people, following provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Tickets for apron parking will be $58, and if a resident receives more than five citations, the vehicle will be towed, according to LADOT. In regards to the City working on a new policy, the City Council voted on August 19th to instruct the Department of Transportation along with the City Attorney to (1) report back regarding potential State legislation on correct apron parking and (2) creation of a program that would be ADA compliant that would allow for apron parking. This report back will likely be heard in late September/early October. Until then, we advise you NOT PARK in your driveway apron, blocking the sidewalk."
What they are referring to as the "apron" is actually the "parkway": the area between the street and the sidewalk. Not all parkways are the same. Some are extra wide, some are extra narrow. So depending on what neighborhood you live in, parking in the apron could be a nuisance or a benefit to you. For example, if you live in the hills with tight streets then a car parked in the parkway could be obstructing your sidewalk and street as well. But most people who park in their parkways are able to fit their car in such a way that the sidewalk and street are not obstructed. In front of my house, we can fit our cars in our parkway without the tires touching the street or the sidewalk. Around the corner from us, cars parked in the parkway will stick out in the street, no further then the parallel parked cars, and at the same time not be touching the sidewalk.
Whatever the case, two thing are certain: 1) A lot of people park in parkways in Los Angeles, and 2) Los Angeles has more residents with cars than available street parking spaces. This new policy will be affecting all residents who live in densely populated neighborhoods (i.e. like, all of us) even those without parkways because the thousands of people who park in parkways will now have to park on the street.
But what about residents with disabilities? After all, the newsletter did mention the entire reason LADOT is initiating this policy is because they are trying to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Or so they say.
I found the entire ADA act of 1990 online. It does not mention "parkway", "apron" or "sidewalk" in the entire document. There was a fairly recent court ruling that determined anything blocking or ubstructing the sidewalk was indeed a violation of the ADA. I called ADA this morning to clarify. I was told that it is NOT in violation of the ADA for a car to park in the parkway, as long as the car is not blocking the sidewalk.
As I mentioned earlier, my street on Sunset Drive between Sanborn and Sunset Boulevard has an oversized parkway and we are able to park our modern size vehicles in the parkway without obstructing either the sidewalk or the street. In the past, LADOT would give us tickets if our tires touched the sidewalk or if we blocked the sidewalk. It did not take long to train every resident on Sunset Drive between Sanborn and Sunset Boulevard to not block the sidewalk while parking in thier parkways. In 2006 I received my first parking ticket for parking in the parkway. I called LADOT and the supervisor informed me that my tires cannot be touching the sidewalk as it is in violation of the ADA. He also informed me there is a municiple code that prohibits parking in the parkway but the city does not enforce it because there is not enough parking in our densely populated neighborhoods. He said as long as my car is not obstructing the sidewalk they will not ticket. I have never blocked the sidewalk since then. In our neighborhood, LADOT for years has been acting in accordance with the ADA and because of LADOT the sidewalks on Sunset Drive are always clear and ADA compliant. It does not make sense for LADOT to speciously claim they have to now enforce the city municiple code which prohibits parking in the parkway in order to comply with the ADA. Prohibiting residents to park in their parkway when they park in a mannor that is ADA compliant will gravely impact parking in our city . The City Council is aware of our parking problems and should be looking for solutions, not contributing to the problem.
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