OK - how about the 20 foot law?

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

Since parking laws are under discussion I would like to bring up the 20 ft law (= illegal to park within 20 feet of an intersection). I got a ticket last month on my street for this, in a spot where I and other residents have parked for years. The ticket said I was 8 feet from the intersection. I appealed it by mail and sent photos and got a notice yesterday that my appeal was denied. (fwiw - this is a one way street, off of a one way street and in my humble opinion, there was ample clearance for pedestrians and emergency vehicles).

Ok - so I will pay the $30. ticket- but the thing is, it seems like selective/arbitrary enforcement. Even more, there are numerous spots in this neighborhood where, if this 20 ft law were enforced routinely, would not be legal spots at all- yet folks park in those spots all the time.

Trivial I agree but it seems more about $$$ ("revenue enhancement") than anything else. Also, rather than leaving it to a judgment call by someone tryng to park or the parking enforcement person, there should be clear markings on the curb at the 20 ft mark.

Photo behind the cut. Am I guilty or not? ;-)


 

Comments

[ron_newman]

Probably true, but it will still delay the firetruck.

To the original poster: how about taking out a tape measure and measuring the width of that crosswalk? Your rear bumper is a few inches from its right side, and the intersection starts immediately at its left side. A simple measurement would make a lot more sense than asking a bunch of LJ'ers to look at a photograph and guess.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

so, where do they measure from?

i think you're saying from the closest of the two edge lines of the other strees perpendicular to the parked on street yes?

i know sometimes they measure from the center of the street as well for somethings.

also, i know a few people that have gotten out of tickets for parking in special or restricted zones because they were not marked with appropriate curb markings. in particular, fire hydrants - what's the distance on that one for the city?

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[ron_newman]

That's a good question, but I assume "20 feet from an intersection" means "20 feet from where the curb starts to curve away from a straight line." Which, in this case, is just to the left of the crosswalk.

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

an important clarification. i'll dig into the rule if i can find it online in trivial time. they really should just paint them to make the point.

a friend of mine almost got a ticket (written, issued, retracted on the spot) because the guy claimed his meter was out and he wasn't actually parked in the spot. both were incorrect, but it was the ticket writer's opinion, not any measured fact.

someone's 15 feet might be someone's 20 feet. esp if the starting point varies.

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[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

but Ron, that's (part of) the thing: where does the intersection *start*? Is it the street side curb, the end of the sidewalk, the end of the crosswalk? I have no idea.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

So what? That photograph is not twenty feet. It's nowhere close.

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

Agreed. That car is parked a hell of a lot closer than 20 feet from wherever the intersection may technically start.

And typically, they start where one street meets another.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

15 ft away from a zebra crossing where i come from....HA HA...you all loose ;oP

[ron_newman]

Zebras I haven't seen in Somerville. Deer, maybe, if they're really lost.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

lame-o.

that's crosswalk for you...so where I come from you have to park 15ft away from a crosswalk since pedestrians are more important than vehicles...

[bombardiette.livejournal.com]

I knew what you meant. I loved driving over there...and walking too. Pedestrians actually waited for the cross signal and drivers actually knew how to drive. It was amazing. And refreshing. And good.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

C'mon, Ron, this proves the point of a lengthy argument I had with another comm member over in the last parking post. Let me have my moment of glory.