The grace period for California’s new parking law is set to begin come March 1. The law prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk, regardless of whether it’s marked. As NBC 7’s Shandel Menezes explains, some people are worried this will make it even harder to park.
North Park neighbors tell NBC 7 that parking is already tough in the neighborhood and that the state's new "daylighting" law is making matters worse.
It's even more reason why some have nicknamed North Park as “No Park.”
Annette S. has lived in the neighborhood for more than two years and said parking has been “the worst nightmare.”
“Sometimes we have to sacrifice and park really far,” Annette said. “And then I feel bad for the people with kids. They drop them off and get them settled in their home and have to run to park. But even myself, I've dropped off groceries really quick, and I've gotten a ticket.”
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California is far from leading the charge; in fact, it's the 44th state to adopt daylighting, which restricts parking within 20 feet of an intersection. It’s still illegal to park close to an intersection even when the curb isn’t painted red. The law didn’t come with funding to paint the curbs, so they’re working to find staff and room in their own budgets for additional paint.
Circulate San Diego's policy council Will Moore said the law aims to make intersections safer.
“If you ever pulled up to a stop sign and not been able to see around somebody who's parked right at the intersection, this is to prevent that from happening,” Moore said.
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Daylighting became law on Jan. 1st but cities across the county have given residents a grace period till March 1 to get drivers up to speed.
So far this year, the city of San Diego has given about 1,500 warnings or courtesy notices, Santee has given between 50-100, and Oceanside has given only given 3. That's likely because the North County city has had a similar ordinance on the books for years.
Oceanside doesn’t plan to start giving actual tickets unless city staff feels it’s necessary.
San Diego parking enforcement, on the other hand, will crack down, with tickets costing $77.50 each, after including fees.
North Park neighbors understand why the law went into effect but also feel like there’s a better way to keep people safe.
“There's a lot of blind spots,” Annette said. “But that's where stop signs come in place. And I think just implementing the stop signs should help”
Regardless of how much harder it may be to find a spot in a neighborhood already so crowded, the perks and location make sticking it out worth it.
