Chapter 16.40 PARKING

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a two-way roadway shall be so stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to and within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or as close as practicable to the right edge of the right-hand shoulder.

(b) Except as otherwise provided by local ordinance, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a one-way roadway shall be so stopped or parked parallel to the curb or edge of the roadway, in the direction of authorized traffic movement, with its right-hand wheels within 12 inches of the right-hand curb or as close as practicable to the right edge of the right-hand shoulder, or with its left-hand wheels within 12 inches of the left-hand curb or as close as practicable to the left edge of the left-hand shoulder.

(c) The city may place official traffic control devices prohibiting, limiting, or restricting the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles on any roadway where they determine such stopping, standing, or parking is dangerous to those using the roadway or where the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles would unduly interfere with the free movement of traffic thereon. No person shall stop, stand, or park any vehicle in violation of the restrictions indicated by such devices. (Ord. 1401 § 1, 2006; Ord. 505 § 68, 1964).

16.40.015 Stopping, standing, or parking prohibited in specified places – Reserving portion of roadway prohibited.

(a) Except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic, or in compliance with law or the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device, no person shall:

(1) Stop, stand, or park a vehicle:

(A) On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;

(B) On a sidewalk or street planting strip;

(D) On a crosswalk;

(E) Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless official signs or markings indicate a different no-parking area opposite the ends of a safety zone;

(F) Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when stopping, standing, or parking would obstruct traffic;

(G) Upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a street or within a street tunnel;

(H) On any railroad tracks;

(I) In the area between roadways of a divided street including crossovers;

(J) At any place where official signs prohibit stopping.

(2) Stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger or passengers:

(A) In front of a public or private driveway or within five feet of the end of the curb radius leading thereto;

(B) Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;

(D) Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway;

(E) Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of said entrance when property is signposted; or

(F) At any place where official signs prohibit standing.

(3) Park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading property or passengers:

(A) At any place where official signs prohibit parking; or

(B) Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing.

(b) Parking or standing shall be permitted in the manner provided by law at all other places except a time limit may be imposed or parking restricted at other places, but such limitation and restriction shall be by city ordinance or order of the secretary of transportation under their respective jurisdictions.

(c) No person shall move a vehicle not lawfully under his or her control into any such prohibited area or away from a curb such a distance as is unlawful.

(d) It shall be unlawful for any person to reserve or attempt to reserve any portion of a roadway for the purpose of stopping, standing, or parking to the exclusion of any other like person, nor shall any person be granted such right, unless city ordinance dictates otherwise. (Ord. 1401 § 2, 2006).

16.40.018 Parking over line.

No vehicle shall stop, stand or park in any parking area designated by lines or marks in any manner that the vehicle extends over or across any such line or mark or in such manner that the vehicle is not within the area so designated by such lines or marks. (Ord. 1401 § 3, 2006).

16.40.019 Wrong way parking.

No vehicle shall stop, stand or park in any designated or nondesignated parking space in such a manner that the vehicle faces oncoming traffic. (Ord. 1401 § 4, 2006).

16.40.020 Angle – Markings.

The police chief shall determine upon what streets other than those forming a part of the primary or secondary state highways angle parking shall be permitted. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 69, 1964).

16.40.030 Angle – Obedience to signs or markings.

Upon those streets which have been signed or marked for angle parking, no person shall park or stand a vehicle other than at the angle to the curb or edge of the roadway indicated by such signs or markings. (Ord. 505 § 70, 1964).

16.40.040 Angle – Loading, unloading – Permit required.

The police chief is authorized to issue special permits to permit the backing of a vehicle to the curb for the purpose of loading or unloading merchandise or materials subject to the terms and conditions of such permit. Such permits may be issued either to the owner or lessee of real property or to the owner of the vehicle and shall grant to such person the privilege as therein stated and authorized herein, and it is unlawful for any permittee or other person to violate any of the special terms or conditions of any such permit; provided, however, that no permit issued hereunder shall be exclusive. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 71, 1964).

16.40.050 Obstructing/impeding traffic prohibited.

No person shall park any vehicle upon a street in such a manner or under such conditions as to leave available less than eight feet of width of the roadway for free movement of vehicular traffic.

No vehicle shall stop, stand or park in such a manner as to impede traffic. “Impede traffic” shall be defined as the stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle in such a manner as to interfere with, obstruct or stop the lawful passage of pedestrians or other vehicles. (Ord. 1401 § 5, 2006; Ord. 842 § 3, 1986; Ord. 505 § 72, 1964).

16.40.060 Alley.

No person shall park a vehicle within an alley in such a manner or under such conditions as to leave available less than eight feet of the width of the roadway for the free movement of vehicular traffic, and no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle within an alley in such position as to block the driveway entrance to any abutting property. (Ord. 505 § 73, 1964).

16.40.065 Parking within fire lane prohibited.

(a) No person shall permit or allow a motor vehicle to park within or obstruct a fire lane.

(b) For purposes of this section, “fire lane” means an area on public or private property reserved for providing the fire department access to structures, firefighting fixtures or equipment for emergency vehicles. Designation of fire lane locations shall be designated by both the fire marshal and the city engineer. (Ord. 1401 § 6, 2006).

16.40.070 Certain purposes prohibited.

Inasmuch as the city desires to reduce, if not eliminate, the use of city streets for the general storage of vehicles or other objects on more than a temporary basis and for only short periods of time, accordingly, parking or storage of motor vehicles or other objects upon city streets and rights-of-way for any of the following purposes or in the following manner is prohibited:

(a) Displaying such motor vehicle or other object for sale or for advertising the sale thereof;

(b) Repairing a motor vehicle, camper, trailer, boat trailer, boat or other object; except that emergency parking for repair upon a motor vehicle not requiring over 24-hour total time shall be permitted;

(c) Parking or storage of a motor vehicle which is temporarily or permanently inoperative for any reason whatsoever, including lack of proper license, and excepting only parking for emergency repairs as authorized in subsection (b) of this section;

(d) Parking or storage, at any time or for any reason, of a boat, boat trailer, house trailer, travel trailer, mobilehome, camper or any other vehicle or object incapable of self-locomotion;

(e) Parking or storage of any motorcycle, motor vehicle or motor home capable of self-locomotion for a continuous period of time in excess of 20 hours;

(f) Storage of building materials, sand, gravel, sawdust, beauty bark, rocks or other materials of any kind whatsoever;

(g) Storage of rubbish or vegetation of any kind for any period of time. (Ord. 842 § 4, 1986; Ord. 646 § 1, 1972; Ord. 505 § 74, 1964).

16.40.080 Adjacent to schools.

(a) The police chief is authorized to erect signs indicating no parking upon either or both sides of any street adjacent to any school property when such parking would, in the police chief’s opinion, interfere with traffic or create a hazardous situation.

(b) When official signs are erected indicating no parking upon that side of a street adjacent to any school property, no person shall park a vehicle in any such designated place. (Ord. 842 § 5, 1986; Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 75, 1964).

16.40.085 Improper parking on city property.

No vehicle shall stop, stand or park on any city-owned property except in areas which have been clearly identified by the city by sign, painted lines or other marking as parking spaces. (Ord. 1401 § 7, 2006).

16.40.090 Prohibited on narrow streets.

(a) The police chief is authorized to erect signs indicating no parking upon both sides of a street when the width of the improved roadway does not exceed 20 feet, or upon one side of a street as indicated by such signs when the width of the improved roadway is between 20 and 28 feet.

(b) When official signs prohibiting parking are erected upon narrow streets as authorized herein, no person shall park a vehicle upon any such street in violation of any such sign. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 76, 1964).

16.40.100 Near hazardous or congested places.

(a) The police chief is authorized to determine and designate by proper signs, places not exceeding 100 feet in length in which the stopping, standing, or parking of vehicles would create an especially hazardous condition or would cause unusual delay in traffic.

(b) When official signs are erected at hazardous or congested places as authorized herein, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any such designated place. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 77, 1964).

16.40.110 Curb loading zone – Designation.

The police chief is authorized to determine the location of passenger and freight curb loading zones and shall place and maintain appropriate signs indicating the same and stating the hours during which the provisions of this section are applicable. No person shall be granted the right, use, or franchise for vehicle parking of any portion of the surface area of any public highway to the exclusion of any other like person. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 78, 1964).

16.40.130 Passenger curb loading zone.

No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle for any purpose or period of time other than for the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers in any place marked as a passenger curb loading zone during hours when the regulations applicable to such curb loading zone are effective, and then only for a period not to exceed three minutes. (Ord. 505 § 80, 1964).

16.40.140 Freight curb loading zone.

No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle for any purpose or length of time other than for the expeditious unloading and delivery or pickup and loading of materials in any place marked as a freight curb loading zone during hours when the provisions applicable to such zones are in effect. In no case shall the stop for loading and unloading of materials exceed 30 minutes. (Ord. 505 § 81, 1964).

16.40.150 Designation of public carrier stands.

The police chief is authorized and required to establish bus stops, bus stands, and taxicab stands for other passenger common carrier motor vehicles on such public street in such places and in such number as the police chief shall determine to be of the greatest benefit and convenience to the public, and every such bus stop, bus stand, taxicab stand, or other stand shall be designated by appropriate signs. (Ord. 842 § 6, 1986; Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 82, 1964).

16.40.160 Restrictions at public carrier stands.

(a) The driver of a bus shall not stand or park such vehicle upon any street at any place other than a bus stand so designated as provided herein.

(b) The driver of a bus shall not stop such vehicle upon any street at any place for the purpose of loading or unloading passengers or their baggage other than at a bus stop, bus stand, or passenger loading zone so designated as provided herein, except in case of an emergency.

(c) The driver of a bus shall enter a bus stop, bus stand, or passenger loading zone on a public street in such a manner that the bus when stopped to load or unload passengers or baggage shall be in a position with the right front wheel of such vehicle not further than 18 inches from the curb and the bus approximately parallel to the curb so as not to impede unduly the movement of other vehicular traffic.

(d) The driver of a taxicab shall not stand or park such vehicle upon any street at any place other than in a taxicab stand so designated as provided herein. This provision shall not prevent the driver of a taxicab from temporarily stopping in accordance with other stopping or parking regulations at any place for the purpose of and while actually engaged in the expeditious loading or unloading of passengers. (Ord. 842 § 7, 1986; Ord. 597 § 2, 1969; Ord. 505 § 83, 1964).

16.40.163 Bus zone.

(a) In areas designated “bus zone,” no vehicle other than a bus shall stop, stand or be parked for any purpose or period of time, unless otherwise posted. Buses may stop, stand, or park in these areas solely for the expeditious loading and unloading of passengers.

(b) For purposes of this section, the term “bus” shall mean:

(1) Any motor vehicle used for the purpose of carrying passengers, together with incidental baggage or freight, on a regular schedule of time and rates; or

(2) Any school bus. (Ord. 1401 § 8, 2006).

16.40.164 Bicycle parking.

In areas designated “bicycle parking,” only bicycles shall be permitted to stop, stand or be parked. For purposes of this section, “bicycle” means any device capable of being propelled solely by human power upon which any person may ride, having two tandem wheels either of which is more than 20 inches in diameter. (Ord. 1401 § 9, 2006).

16.40.169 Areas limited to designated vehicles.

In areas for which a sign has been posted limiting parking to certain type of vehicles, no vehicle other than the designated vehicle shall stop, stand or be parked for any purpose or period of time. (Ord. 1401 § 10, 2006).

16.40.170 Time limits – Application.

The provisions of this chapter prohibiting the standing or parking of a vehicle shall apply at all times or at those times herein specified or as indicated on official signs except when it is necessary to stop a vehicle to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a police officer or official traffic control device. (Ord. 505 § 84, 1964).

16.40.180 Time limits – Not exclusive.

The provisions of this chapter imposing a time limit on parking shall not relieve any person from the duty to observe other and more restrictive provisions prohibiting or limiting the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles in specified places or at specified times. (Ord. 505 § 85, 1964).

16.40.190 Prohibited at all times.

When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall park a vehicle at any time upon any of the streets described in Schedule III attached to and made a part of this section.

Schedule III

No parking west side of Alta Vista in the 800 block,

No parking on Farallone 300 and 400 block on east side, or opposite east side driveways.

(Ord. 842 § 8, 1986; Ord. 505 § 86, 1964).

16.40.200 Prohibited during certain hours.

When signs are erected in each block giving notice thereof, no person shall park a vehicle between the hours specified in Schedule IV of any day except Sundays and public holidays within the district or upon any of the streets described in Schedule IV attached to and made a part of this section. “Public holidays,” within the meaning of this section, embrace only those days recognized by ordinance.

Schedule IV

No parking between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on the following streets:

(1) East and west side of Alameda Avenue between house numbers 119-120 to the 200 block as marked.

(Ord. 1572 § 1, 2016; Ord. 842 § 9, 1986; Ord. 505 § 87, 1964).

16.40.210 Prohibited except Sundays and holidays.

When signs are erected in each block giving notice thereof, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle between the hours specified in Schedule V of any day except Sundays and the public holidays specified in FMC 16.40.200 within the district or upon any of the streets described in Schedule V attached to and made a part of this section.

Schedule V

None.

(Ord. 505 § 88, 1964).

16.40.220 Parking, standing or stopping prohibited at all times.

When signs are erected giving notice thereof, no person shall park, stand or stop a vehicle at any time upon any of the streets described in Schedule VI attached to and made a part of this section.

Schedule VI

No parking, standing or stopping on the following streets: the east side of Contra Costa Avenue and the south side of Elm Tree Lane as marked and described as follows:

Beginning at the point at which the curb in Contra Costa Avenue joins the south side of the southerly entrance to the parking lot in the Whittier Park facility and extending to the south and west along the curb line to a point at which an extension of the west right-of-way line of Contra Costa Avenue intersects the curb line in Elm Tree Lane.

This is more generally described as a distance of 115 feet measured along the curb line between the south entrance to the Whittier Park parking lot and a point immediately east of the installed stop sign on Elm Tree Lane at Contra Costa Avenue.

(Ord. 1216 § 1, 1999).

16.40.230 Time limits – Enforcement, signs required.

Whenever by this chapter or any other city ordinance any parking time limit is imposed or parking is prohibited on designated streets, it shall be the duty of the police chief to erect appropriate signs giving notice thereof, and no such regulations shall be effective unless the signs are erected and in place at the time of any alleged offense. (Ord. 597 § 1, 1969; Ord. 505 § 90, 1964).

16.40.240 Leaving minors unattended.

It is unlawful for any person while operating or in charge of a vehicle to park or wilfully allow such vehicle to stand upon a public highway or in a public place in the city, leaving a minor child or children under the age of six years unattended therein, and it shall be unlawful for any person while operating or in charge of a motor vehicle to park or wilfully allow such vehicle to stand upon a public highway or in a public place in the city with its motor running, or ignition keys therein, and leaving a child or children under the age of 16 years unattended therein. Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 1060 § 1, 1994).

16.40.248 Statutes adopted by reference.

Repealed by Ord. 1424. (Ord. 1401 § 11, 2006).

16.40.250 Violation – Penalty.

Every person convicted of a violation of any provision of this chapter shall be subject to a monetary penalty in the amount of $30.00. Each act in violation of any of the provisions hereof shall be deemed a separate offense. A monetary penalty of $25.00 shall also be imposed for failure to respond to a notice of traffic infraction relating to parking. In addition, all violations of RCW Title 46 relating to parking shall be subject to a monetary penalty not to exceed $25.00 for failure to respond to a notice of traffic infraction relating to parking. There is assessed a $10.00 administrative fee of $10.00 per ticket, up to $25.00, per payment plan if time payments are requested for payment of fines. (Ord. 1401 § 12, 2006; Ord. 1315 § 1, 2002; Ord. 1258 § 1, 2000; Ord. 1034 § 1, 1993).

16.40.260 Severability.

Should any part of this title be adjudged invalid for any reason, such adjudication shall not affect the validity of this title as a whole or any part thereof. (Ord. 1401 § 13, 2006).