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PARKING TICKET

3K views 44 replies 31 participants last post by  PunkinDave 
#1 ·
While in Julien CA. this weekend, I parked at end of a row of angled parallell spots inside that small triangle area. Does anyone know if that is illegal? I recieved a parking ticket for the CHP so I suppose it must be but it sure seems kind of chicken ****. Has anyone else ever been tickedted for this and is this worth contesting? :?
Louis
 
#4 ·
Did you say CHP issued the ticket? Were they there for hot apple cider & cider donuts, or home made apple pie? They're everywhere. Even in 'off the beaten path' towns!

Isn't that area, great riding? Did you travel East on rte. 78, over the Vallecito mtns.?
 
#5 ·
I can't find the thread now, but it seems like there was one on pashnit.com noting the parking problems in that area. The conclusion was that some influential local had complained...
 
#7 ·
It is just as illegal as parking in the striped area between handicap spaces. What is so difficult about parking normally like you would your car. Why do many bikers think that parking laws do not apply to them? It is a good thing I am not a parking cop, I would be impounding at least 20 vehicles a day from the wal-mart and shopping mall. I would also be ticketing the clowns that park across 3 or 4 spaces at the front of a row to prevent door dings. That is just plain inconsiderate and self-centered.
 
#8 ·
No question it's just as illegal for a motorcycle as for a cage, even if you were trying to be polite and save a larger space for a larger vehicle. You didn't say that's what was in your mind; I'm just giving you the benefit of the doubt. It is good to be aware that they are sticklers in Julian. I'm heading there for a five day rest and ride in a couple of weeks. Just loaded the routes from Motorcycle Journeys In California into my GPS. Should be lots of fun.
 
#9 ·
The problem is there is no consistancy as most of these parking spots are privately owned and everyone seems to make up their own rules as they go along.

Many owners of these parking lots prefer motorcycles to park in the odd shaped leftover areas that cars can not park in, leaving additional full size parking spots available for larger vehicles. The problem is there is usually no way to know what is and what is not allowed.

I've worked for a very large HMO for 20 years. While visiting different Medical Centers I've been asked by security to park my motorcycle in an area that otherwise would be a "No Parking" area, then I go to another facility, (Different location but still the same company), and I'm told to park in "regular" parking spots only. :roll:

Unless you know better, park in regular designated parking spots. If your riding in a group, show some courtesy and put 2-4 bikes in each parking spot!
 
#10 ·
I was there Sunday. The place was jammed. There were many bikes there parked angled to the curb. The good news for bikers was once one bike parked in a parallel parking slot, the bikes owned it until all left. As a result, there were many bike sized spots but few for cars.

Given the congestion, I think this was a cheap shot. I don't know why these remainder spots are not identified for motorcycles. There is no safety issue involved. They are simply spots which were left over. Not big enough for a car, so they lined them off to keep a car from trying to force a space.

There are several like this in downtown Seal Beach where there is also very limited parking. These spots accommodate about six bikes and are usually occupied on evenings and weekends. I have never seen a ticket. Those six bikes have the right to tie up six full size auto spots. Is that what the city wants?

The Irvine Spectrum has a large odd shaped area like this right in the front of the parking garage. It will hold about a dozen bikes without any even being close to the line marking the driving lanes. It is always well populated with bikes and never a ticket. It helps the auto parking.

Pshivers makes a good point about private lots. They can make up their own rules, but I am not clear about ticketing. Does a Wallmart or a shopping lot become subject to ticketing? I suppose they have the right to tow, but if their is no proper warning they might be liable. Does anyone know what the governing authority is on private lots?

I gather the Julian situation was on public property. What is the governing regulation for this kind of parking? If it is not set out in the law or published ordinances, then I suspect you could have a chance the judge might dismiss it if you requested a trial by declaration. (all done by mail.) Certainly you would have nothing to lose but the time to write down your arguments.
 
#11 ·
Many years ago when I first started riding one of the towns at the Jersey Shore started ticketing bikes parked 2 or more in a parking space. We thought we were helping save space for the cages. We organized rides for the weekends and arrived early taking up many many spaces. After 2 weeks of this the town begged us to share spaces. Seems they got mucho complaints of families looking for a space and were frustrated because our bikes were taking up so many.
 
#12 ·
LeeBos said:
Many years ago when I first started riding one of the towns at the Jersey Shore started ticketing bikes parked 2 or more in a parking space. We thought we were helping save space for the cages. We organized rides for the weekends and arrived early taking up many many spaces. After 2 weeks of this the town begged us to share spaces. Seems they got mucho complaints of families looking for a space and were frustrated because our bikes were taking up so many.
Always good to hear that a little organizing and a little action did the trick, nothing better than beating government using their rules :!:
 
#14 ·
I didn't get the feeling that this ticket occured because the bike was on private property, however, I just checked both the Ca. Driver's Handbook and the CA Motorcycle Handbook and there is nothing in either that would prevent this type of parking. And I have never heard of CHP enforcing parking. What is the violation shown on the ticket? I don't think Julian is incorporated so you would be under the County of San Diego's jurisdiction.

The laws related to parking deal with not blocking driveways, walkways or parking in front of colored curbs. There is no mention of triangular striped areas etc. Probably because the lawmakers are cage oriented. If a car attempted to park in one of these areas it would likely trigger one of the violation categories because these end areas are adjacent to driveways, etc, and the car would overhang the triangle and block the drive. The motorcycle does not.

After reading this, I think I would definitely contest the ticket, especially since you can do so in writing without appearing. These tickets are big revenue items, not safety, and the cities rely on the fact that most people just pay up to avoid the hassle.

If I was doing this, I would describe the circumstances (i.e. the crowded nature of Julian during Octoberfest) and point out that you parked in this space to avoid taking up needed automobile parking and I would draw a sketch showing where I was parked. So you will admit to parking where the officer said you were parked. However, you can offer up an affirmative defense, which basically says that if there was a violation (and you do not believe there was) there is no such parking law identified in either the California Driver's Handbook or the California Motorcycle Handbook. Further, there was not sign in Julian indicating that parking within this space was no permitted.

Therefore, you request the charge be dismissed. Even if the judge does not dismiss it, he can still reduce the fine and you have nothing to lose. Let us know if there is a violation number.

On a similar note, as the Calfornia riders know, lane sharing is legal here. However, there are no laws specifying the details of how, when and where to lane share. This is left up to law enforcement. It is just supposed to be done in a safe manner. It appears that LEOs will not ticket bikes for splitting the lanes between cars, but yet will ticket you if you lane split to the right of the car in the right lane. They will ticket you for illegally passing on the right. However, the code is specific concerning passing on the right. It reads that the vehicle passes outside the normal area of the lane onto the shoulder or the area to the outside of the solid white line.

Yet, when one splits between cars, one is passing the left vehicle on the right and the right vehicle on the left. Now, if one is passing on the shoulder they clearly have you. But, if there is room on the right between the line of vehicles and the shoulder I could not find anything in the vehicle code which would make this any more illegal than lane sharing between cars.

The conditions for such are usually bumper to bumper traffic which varies from a dead stop to 15 mph, so if there is room these cars can easily and safely be passed on the right while remaining in the lane.

Is anyone aware of a California law that I may have overlooked on this?
 
#16 ·
illegal in yellow stripped lines
I don't think there were any yellow lines. There would be white parking place stripes and the lines marking the end triangle would also be white.

I shop at local shopping center that has a special space for motorcycle parking. It is guarded by posts to keep the cars out. So can motorcycles park in it? No, because the car owners have filled the area up with shopping carts.

I fail to see how motorcycles adversely impact anyone when they occupy unused, wasted space that in no way impedes traffic instead of tieing up a whole parking place as they are entitled to do.
 
#18 ·
PoleCat said:
I got a parking ticket in the Wisconsin Dells that questioned my reproductive abilities. :? Is that legal?
Polecat, the statement on the paper that said, "DO NOT REPRODUCE" meant not to copy the paper, not about your abilities! :lol:


 
#19 ·
laen said:
illegal in yellow stripped lines
I park illegally in the yellow-striped lines all the time. At the local Hooters, they yellow-striped area says, "Harley Parking," but I park there anyway... never got a ticket. :lol:
 
#21 ·
lrcormier said:
While in Julien CA. this weekend, I parked at end of a row of angled parallell spots inside that small triangle area. Does anyone know if that is illegal? I recieved a parking ticket for the CHP so I suppose it must be but it sure seems kind of chicken flip. Has anyone else ever been tickedted for this and is this worth contesting? :?
Louis
What is the CVC section listed in the ticket. It will answer your questions.
 
#22 ·
In California there is a pretty simple theory...

If the line is solid you can make beleive that it is a "wall."

Solid line = Wall

Assuming (in theory) that we cannot pass through walls, then we could not
be there... Right ??

Simple theory, but if you follow it, you will be safe (usually)
 
#23 ·
wk4bg8s said:
In California there is a pretty simple theory...

If the line is solid you can make beleive that it is a "wall."

Solid line = Wall

Assuming (in theory) that we cannot pass through walls, then we could not
be there... Right ??

Simple theory, but if you follow it, you will be safe (usually)
WALLS Andy WALLS.....( Les Nessman for WKRP in Cincinnati!! )
 
#24 ·
MotorcycleBoy said:
.... to prevent door dings. That is just plain inconsiderate and self-centered.
It's sad people have to do that to protect their investment, huh? If people weren't 'inconsiderate and self-centered' enough to slam their doors into someone elses considerable investment, no one would do the one car in two spots routine. :wink: :wink:

To stay on topic, I took my wing to the county fair last year, and parked the bike in one of those areas...on the direction of the county sheriff who was there. He wanted to save the full sized spots for a car. I think it just depends on who owns the parking area and what kind of mood the local LEOs are in. This year, we drove the car, and when we were coming out, they were towing two cars that had parked in that very same area. Of course, they were huge SUV's that thought they were important enough to not have to walk, I guess, and were hanging out into the driveway.
 
#25 ·
Duane in Bakersfield said:
It's sad people have to do that to protect their investment, huh? If people weren't 'inconsiderate and self-centered' enough to slam their doors into someone elses considerable investment, no one would do the one car in two spots routine. :wink: :wink:
If a person is that concerned about getting a door ding then they should seek out the far corners of the parking lot where nobody else is parked and walk a few feet instead of inconveniencing others. Besides, 99% of automobiles are not investments, you lose a couple of thousand dollars as soon as you sign on the dotted line and the value goes down hill from there.
 
#26 ·
The end marked with the diagonal lines, sometimes referred to as "cross hatching" is to keep people from parking on top of that area.

If someone were able to park a 2 wheeled vehicle in that area without inhibiting the parked cars or traffic passing by, they should not be ticketed. I wouldn't ticket unless one of those conditions existed.

I think it is in some areas of Newport Beach, CA that it is illegal to park a motorcycle in an automobile parking space, even if you get 2 bikes parked in the space. Talk about assholieness! :evil:
 
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