Richmond Steps Up Parking Enforcement to Make Streets Safer for Pedestrians

The City of Richmond is cracking down on parking violations as part of an effort to protect people on foot, according to an announcement from Mayor Danny Avula.

The decision follows a string of incidents in recent weeks in which multiple pedestrians were hit and killed by drivers in the city. Officials say that keeping intersections, crosswalks and curb areas free of parked cars helps preserve sight lines, allowing drivers and pedestrians to see one another.

Parking enforcement is one piece of a wider pedestrian safety push. The city is also working to install more red light cameras and speed tables. The mayor recently outlined immediate actions meant to prevent traffic deaths, saying, "We will change the streets."

A city spokesperson told CBS 6 that the rules themselves are not new. They are already laid out in City Code Section 27-218, and what is changing is how firmly they will be applied.

Under that section, a $50 fine applies to parking on a sidewalk, in front of a public or private driveway, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection. The same fine covers parking within 30 feet of the approach to a flashing beacon, stop sign or traffic control signal at the side of a roadway, and within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad grade crossing.

Other $50 violations include parking within 15 feet of a fire station driveway entrance, or within 75 feet of the entrance on the opposite side of the street when properly signposted. Drivers can also be fined for parking alongside or opposite a street excavation or obstruction where the vehicle would block traffic, on the roadway side of another parked vehicle, on a median, or on a curb with any wheels off the roadway. Parking where official signs prohibit it, or during street cleaning, carries the same penalty, as does parking where a rule issued under section 2-428 prohibits or restricts it.

The code also covers safety zones. Drivers may not park between a safety zone and the adjacent curb, or within 30 feet of points on the curb directly opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless official signs or markings indicate a different distance.

A higher $65 fine applies to parking in a tow-away zone, a bus zone, a crosswalk, an intersection or a bicycle lane.