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THE one-year grace period for a new parking regulation in California is weeks from ending, as drivers face $40 citations for violating the law.
Written warnings for vehicles parked within 20 feet of a crosswalk in the direction of approaching traffic began on November 11.
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However, beginning on January 1, 2025, the warnings will be replaced with $40 written fines.
However, some drivers could be hit with fines as high as $64, depending on their jurisdiction.
California’s daylighting parking regulation is meant to protect pedestrians by prohibiting vehicles from parking close to intersections and crosswalks.
Vehicles parked close to crosswalks or intersections often obstruct a driver’s view of pedestrians entering or using the crosswalk.
Read more in The U.S. Sun
The new parking measures will “increase the visual field of both pedestrians crossing the street and drivers pulling up to an intersection,” the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said.
“The concept is simple. Pedestrian safety is vastly improved by removing vehicles that are close to intersections and crosswalks,” the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told KTLA.
“Pedestrians will no longer have to ‘peek’ around large SUVs before they venture out into the intersection.”
The Daylighting law is expected to eliminate more than 13,000 parking spots in San Francisco alone.
San Francisco officials intend to paint the banned parking spots red, particularly near schools, to warn drivers.
“This is an important step toward improving safety on our City streets,” Bethany Bezak, the director of the San Diego Transportation Department, said.
“Working together, we can prevent needless crashes and save lives simply by changing how and where we park vehicles.
“This new law will bring us closer to our Vision Zero goals and a future where everyone in San Diego may safely walk and wide.”
The Vision Zero network aims to eliminate traffic-related fatalities across the world.
In San Diego, traffic officials have already begun painting curbs across the city red to indicate the 20-foot buffer zone.
Some car owners in San Francisco fumed over the new regulation, saying parking in the city is already challenging to come by.
“I think they should not do this at this time,” Masie Wong told NBC affiliate KNTV in November.
“They should at least wait for the economy to get better.”
Wong, who owns an AC trading company, told the outlet she had to shut one of her locations in the downtown area due to the limited parking spaces.
Celina Preciado said the new law will make shopping and dining in the city more difficult.
“It’s already hard to find parking as it is,” Preciado added.
“We probably will have to use public transportation now more often.”
There will be a 60-day grace period for the rule from January 1 to March 1, 2025.
New ‘daylighting’ law
A new parking law has been introduced in California.
California Assembly Bill 413, also known as the Daylighting to Save Lives Bill, prohibits parking within 20 feet of crosswalks.
The law makes it illegal for drivers to stop, stand, or park within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
Daylighting is a term for keeping the areas next to intersections as clear as possible to improve visibility on the street and protect pedestrians and bike riders.
The law also prohibits parking personal and commercial vehicles within 20 feet of the left curb on one-way streets or within 15 feet of crosswalks where a curb extension is present.
The law goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
There will be a 60-day grace period for violations until March 1.
