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

Re: Parking Passions

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I think it's great that Somerville is marking these fire lanes. But what's the point of painting curbs when they'll be under piles of snow some of the time? Signs work much better. There's also no Massachusetts state law I know of that defines the meanings for painted curbs.

And if you do paint the curbs, why not use red rather than white, since red is the standard color for a no parking zone in places where the colors have legal meaning?

The press release does say that there will be signs as well as painted curbs.

I also think that Somerville should post signs at *every* corner where they intend to enforce the 20-foot rule. If it's important enough to penalize one driver, it's more than important enough to let all future drivers know where they shouldn't park.

("The white zone is for loading and unloading only...")