DRIVERS could soon be hit with $64 parking fines, as new legislation is set to take effect in days.
The daylighting parking law will go into effect across California on January 1, 2025, as the state aims to protect pedestrians from oncoming traffic.
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Since November, parking enforcers have been issuing written warnings to drivers who park their vehicles within 20 feet of crosswalks.
However, in nine days, the warning will soon be replaced with $64 citations in certain jurisdictions.
The state’s daylighting parking regulation is meant to protect pedestrians by prohibiting cars from parking close to intersections and crosswalks.
The law is expected to increase visibility around both marked and unmarked crosswalks.
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“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.”
“It’s perfect. We need that,” Lolys Leos, a resident of Oceanside, told NBC affiliate KNBC.
Leos told the outlet she and her son were almost run over by a car as they crossed the street in their home in early December.
The mother said the driver did not see the line because a car was parked too close to the intersection.
“We’ve had a rise in pedestrian collisions,” Oceanside Police Sergeant Clint Bussey told the outlet.
“We get more pedestrians that are injured, and obviously in pedestrian vs. vehicle, the pedestrian is always gonna lose.”
Bussey said he’s seen too many pedestrians get hurt or die.
“We see it very often, and especially as we’ve gotten very busy down here, we’ve gotten a lot more of our hotels, and we’ve gotten more touristy in our city,” the police sergeant added.
“People walk all the time to our shops and boutiques, and the cars are also down here, and they’re just not seeing each other.”
However, the impending legislation is expected to eliminate thousands of parking spots across the state.
In San Francisco alone, the law will eliminate more than 13,000 parking spots.
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 told NBC affiliate KNTV in November.
“We probably will have to use public transportation now more often.”
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.
