A parking violation occurs when a driver parks their car at an unauthorized or restricted area. Most parking violations are a result of a driver’s ignorance.
There are many types of parking violations. Before parking your car, always make sure you follow the laid down parking regulations to avoid parking violation fines and other punitive measures such as your car getting towed away at your own cost.
Here are the nine different types of parking violations you should watch out for.
Type #1: Double Parking Violations
Double parking is a traffic offence categorized under parking violations. It occurs when a car parks parallel to another vehicle parked against a curb. Double parking inconveniences other drivers, especially in the event of an emergency.
Where the road is a single lane, double parking can interfere with the flow of traffic. Always avoid double parking since doing so only ends inconveniencing other law-abiding citizens. It also attracts a fine.
Type #2: Parking in Handicap Spots
Handicap parking spots are set aside for people with disability. To park your vehicle at a handicap spot, at least one of the people inside the car must be handicapped. Besides, you need a permit and a sticker indicating you are allowed to park at a handicap spot.
If you are not handicapped and no one in the car is, keep off parking slots designated for the handicapped. Illegally parking at a handicapped parking space attracts a hefty fine. You can also be fined if you misuse the permit. You cannot use a handicap parking permit without the permit holder being present in the car.
Type #3: Parking in One Spot for More than 24 Hours
A driver is allowed to park their vehicle in one spot for 24 hrs. To park at one place for more than 24hrs, you need a special legal parking permit. The time limit usually varies depending on the area, time of day, and the area’s parking turnover.
When the maximum parking time limit is reached, a driver is required to return to their car and exit the parking spot for a specific period before they are allowed back to begin a new session. Parking for more than 24 hrs on the same spot attracts a fine.
Type #4: Parking without a Zone Permit
There are areas, mainly residential, where parking zones are controlled or designated for use by residents living nearby. Parking your car at a residential zoned parking area without the required zone permit attracts a mandatory fine.
Type #5: Not Paying for Metered Parking
A driver is allowed to park at a metered parking lot, but only if they pay for it, and for a limited amount of time. There is always a parking inspector on hand who scans license plates to establish whether the parked vehicles have paid their parking fees, and for how long they have been parked.
If a driver has not paid for the parking slot, or perhaps they have been parked for a longer duration than they paid for, they are required to pay a fine. Parking meters are designed to serve one parking spot at a time. Classic parking meters only use cash, but today, one can also use their card to pay for metered parking.
Type #6: Parking on a Sidewalk
Parking on a sidewalk is considered a violation since sidewalks are meant for use by pedestrians, and in some cases by cyclists. By parking on a sidewalk, you force pedestrians to leave the assured safety of a sidewalk and end up on the street.
Type #7: Parking Too Close to, or at, an Intersection
You are not allowed to park within 20 meters of an intersection. This is to ensure a driver does not block access to or make it difficult for other drivers to access the intersection. Parking too close to, or at, an intersection, attracts a fine.
Type #8: Unauthorized Parking Violations
You risk being fined if you park at a car park you are not authorized to. Some parking lots are designated for specific vehicles. Parking your vehicle where you are not allowed to constitutes a parking violation.
If you park your car in an area you are not authorized to, you may be ticketed, and your vehicle could be towed away at your expense without further reference to you. Any coned-off parking space is considered reserved or designated.
Type #9: Parking on a Fire Lane or Near a Fire Hydrant
You will be fined, and your car towed away, if you park your vehicle in an area designated as a fire lane. Such areas are marked with yellow slashed lines and signs. Avoid parking within ten feet of a fire hydrant or along a painted curb.
Since emergencies can occur at any time, parking in a fire lane or within 10 feet of a fire hydrant is considered a serious parking violation that attracts a hefty fine.