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| | | Wells hopes to allow residents to park closer to intersections | | February 15, 2010 | | | | Staff Writer | | Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells recently introduced legislation that would allow residents to park closer to most intersections overnight than currently permitted, but some transportation officials and neighborhood activists question the safety of the proposal, as well as the city's ability to enforce it.
Wells' legislation would allow a driver with a Residential Parking Permit to park as close as 10 feet from intersections between 9 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., rather than the 25 feet currently allowed. The D.C. Department of Transportation could exclude certain intersections it deems would be made unsafe by the proposed change.
"Usually at night, our neighborhoods are more parked up, but there's less traffic, so it shouldn't be very dangerous," Wells said in an interview. "And many people want to be able to park closer to their homes at night for safety reasons."
The legislation also reiterates a little-known allowance for residents with permits to park 25 feet from intersections day or night — whether or not signs say so — rather than the 40 feet allowed for non-permit holders.
In 2005, then at-large Council member Carol Schwartz drafted legislation to allow residents to park 25 feet from intersections. The D.C. Council passed the bill, but since then, the law has caused much confusion, in part because the city's parking signs don't reflect the change. Some residents said they have erroneously received tickets for parking near intersections.
"I think a lot of people were not aware that this was something that they could do," Wells said. "And there's some confusion about whether it expired. ... I've also gotten feedback from the police that, 'No, it's not allowed. It's against the law.'"
But, in fact, the law does allow residents with Residential Parking Permits to park 25 feet from intersections, according to a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Transportation.
Despite the confusion, Wells said his legislation would not necessarily require a signage update. It wouldn't be the only parking rule that doesn't have a sign, he said. "Everyone knows you can't park in front of a fire hydrant."
Mount Pleasant advisory neighborhood commissioner Jack McKay insists the need for new signs, saying he has received four tickets for parking 40 feet from an intersection. Though he has successfully appealed three of the four, he said updating the city's signs is the only way to assure residents that they can take advantage of the option without being mistakenly ticketed for illegal parking.
"What I would like to see — what would help a lot — would be for DDOT to move the signs, instead of this funny 'the sign is here but the law lets you park there' arrangement," said McKay. "But DDOT refuses to accept the law."
D.C. Department of Transportation spokesperson John Lisle said city signs were never updated for several reasons. "For one thing it would have been cost-prohibitive to change every sign," Lisle wrote in an e-mail to the Voice. "Also, the change was initially temporary and in only specific circumstances, i.e. only for vehicles with 'valid' RPP stickers."
Lisle said the Transportation Department has had difficulty determining what a "valid" Residential Parking Permit meant, making it more difficult to reflect law in signage. "Does it mean only that zone sticker or any valid sticker?" asked Lisle.
The Transportation Department has worries about Wells' legislation as well, said Lisle. "The majority of auto and pedestrian accidents happen at intersections, and reducing the sightlines could have safety implications for drivers and walkers," Lisle wrote in his e-mail.
Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham — who chairs the council's Committee on Public Works and Transportation, which will review Wells' legislation — supports allowing residents to park closer to intersections at night.
"I do think it's a good idea. I'm just not sure how much of an impact it will have," he said. "But if it provides some additional spaces, that's good news."
Graham said many of the city's denser neighborhoods already have signage that permits parking closer than 40 feet from intersections.
Georgetown advisory neighborhood commission chair Ron Lewis also said a large number of streets in his neighborhood have signs indicating that parking is allowed closer than 40 feet from intersections. But, like Graham, Lewis said any additional spaces would be more than welcome.
"I think it's an interesting idea, and it could work well if DDOT determines that it's safe," Lewis said. "We need all the parking we can get." | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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