LA will start ticketing drivers who park on sidewalks again

After years of quietly allowing drivers to leave their vehicles partially or even fully parked on the far edge of the sidewalk, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation is cracking down on parkway parking.

A parkway is the stretch of sidewalk between the walkway and the curb, often covered in grass or dirt. LADOT announced Tuesday that on August 14, it will begin ticketing drivers who stop or park in these areas.

To some, it may seem obvious that parking on the sidewalk would be illegal, but since 2011, the city’s traffic officers have turned a blind eye to the practice, which has become relatively common in dense neighborhoods like Koreatown and Westlake.

The City Council requested an end to parkway enforcement after a series of complaints from residents about the city’s policy of ticketing drivers parked in aprons (the section of a driveway that dips down below the sidewalk).

But widespread parkway parking has drawn complaints from neighbors and concerns from city officials that the presence of cars on the sidewalk could inhibit access to the sidewalk for residents with disabilities and leave the city vulnerable to a lawsuit, as the Los Angeles Times noted earlier this year.

In June, the council voted unanimously to update the city’s municipal code, making parking on the parkway a violation once again. Starting Monday, it will be a ticket-able offense.

• Why aren’t drivers getting ticketed for parking on LA sidewalks? [Curbed LA]
• Legalize It: LA May Soon OK Parkway Produce [Curbed LA]