Last Thursday I woke up to find a parking ticket on my
car’s windshield, something not too uncommon in our cramped
Westwood. But what was remarkable was that I was parked in my own
driveway. And I was not alone. Finding a space on these streets is
already difficult ““ and now we can’t even safely park
in our own spots!
My roommates and I park our cars in the so-called stack parking
arrangement ““ three cars end-to-end in a row. My
roommates’ two cars were parked in our uncovered car port, on
one side of the sidewalk. On the other side of the sidewalk was my
car, the furthest out, with its rear jutting out into the
street.
Thursday morning, my front bumper extended about a foot over the
sidewalk. My roommate’s rear bumper stuck out perhaps a foot
and a half. Both of us now have to pay $40 tickets.
We don’t deserve this. Granted, we were technically in
violation of California Vehicle Code 22500(f), which states that
you cannot park “on any portion of the sidewalk, or with the
body of the vehicle extending over any portion of a sidewalk. …
Lights, mirrors, or devices that are required to be mounted upon a
vehicle under this code may extend from the body of the vehicle
over the sidewalk to a distance of not more than 10 inches.”
However, this code is not only somewhat ambiguous (is the bumper
part of the body or a mounted device?) but the enforcement of it,
as it occurred in Westwood last week, was unfair.
First of all, there is a parking crisis in Westwood. If you
don’t know from experience, ask anyone who parks on the
street. About half the time you will not find a spot where you can
leave your car longer than two hours during the day ““ which
is far too short a time for most people.
Stack parking is one solution to this problem for Westwood
residents. And since we have been using stack parking all year long
and have never before received tickets, we assumed it was OK. This
sweep smacks of a funding-deprived city desperately trying to
recoup some loses. The tacit approval followed by strict citation
borders on entrapment. It is unfair to enforce parking laws in such
an inconsistent manner.
Unfairness aside, there are several things that could be done to
solve this problem. First of all, it would be particularly helpful
if the city would build a parking structure to alleviate some of
the parking crisis. But I concede this is probably asking too
much.
Surely, the city could open up more streets for legal parking.
There are large chunks of street on which it’s illegal to
park at any time, and there are other spots where you cannot park
for more than two hours. For example, the part of Veteran Avenue
that lies south of Weyburn Avenue could be opened up to
parking.
But more important than the parking crisis, is the flawed
application of the code.
First, let me first state emphatically and for the record, I am
in complete support of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I
firmly believe that our society needs to be fully accessible to
everyone. Period. But in many cases, a straight objective meter is
not applicable and a variety of factors must be taken into
consideration when determining whether or not something (from
employment to civil participation to restaurants to sidewalks) is
accessible.
It appears that other cities are aware some flexibility is
called for with regard to the sidewalk situation. When I spoke with
UCLA Parking Enforcement (this office had nothing to do with the
ticketing), employee Elick Kelly told me that in other cities,
there are often municipal codes governing how this vehicle code is
enforced ““ that is, so long as there is still, clearly,
wheelchair access, the police do not ticket for violation of the
code.
This makes sense. If the ADA specifies that the minimum width
for an “accessible passage” is 36 inches, it is clear
that “more than 10 inches” of sidewalk space is an
unrealistic means of consistently assuring access. Additionally, it
is ridiculous to decide upon a specific inch count in a case such
as this because there are too many factors to take into account.
For example, the condition of the sidewalk, maneuverability, and
the shape and size of the cars.
I think it is important to create a municipal code that requires
officers to take such factors into account. Police officers and
parking enforcement should have the discretion to determine what is
and what is not acceptable access.
And no, I do not think asking the officers to make these
determinations is requiring too much. Our police make judgement
calls on a daily basis. This should be no different. They should
have training regarding ADA statutes and should be able to
determine whether the rest of us are in compliance.
The parking crisis is a bad situation and there are no obviously
easy answers. And there are certainly some people who deserve
parking tickets. But harshly enforcing parking regulations to an
absurd degree does not accomplish anything for us or for the
city.
Raimundo is a fifth-year economics and political science
student. E-mail him at araimundo@media.ucla.edu. Send general
comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.