Laramie Police Cracking Down on Illegal Parking

Laramie Parking Enforcement will be starting to enforce 'Failure to Parallel Park' for vehicles of owners/tenants that have filled their driveways with too many cars resulting in parking short of the sidewalk, but have their trunk parked in the street. Basically, if your car is parked in the street, it has to be parked parallel to the curb, no matter if it's near a driveway or not according to Laramie Police Officer Kelly Namee.

The focus on the issue is a result of people calling in complaining it and the fact that it affects visibility on the street, which is a safety issue. Namee reports that apartment buildings and houses with multiple tenants are the areas where this issue tends to pop up. When people don't have a space to park near where they live, Namee says they find creative ways to try and park.

The ordinance this issue relates to is 10.36.140:

Parking parallel to curb—Exceptions.

Except when necessary in obedience to traffic regulations or traffic signs or signals, the operator of a vehicle shall not stop, stand or park such vehicle in a roadway other than parallel with the edge of the roadway, headed in the direction of traffic, and with the curbside wheels of the vehicle within one foot of the edge of the roadway and within the area designated by the markings on the roadway, except as provided in the following subsections:

A. Upon those streets which have been marked or signed for angle parking, vehicles shall be parked at the angle to the curb indicated by such marks or signs.

B. The official traffic commission is authorized to issue, to any owner of a vehicle used to transport merchandise or materials, a special permit, renewable annually, and to state therein the terms and conditions thereof, allowing the operator of such vehicle the privilege of loading and unloading while the vehicle is backed against a curb, if in the opinion of the official traffic commission, such privilege is reasonably necessary in the conduct of the owner's business and will not seriously interfere with traffic. In places where and at hours when stopping for the loading or unloading of merchandise or materials is permitted, vehicles used for the transportation of merchandise or materials may back into the curb to take on or discharge loads, when the owner of such vehicle holds a permit granting him such special privilege. Such permit shall be either in the possession of the operator or on the vehicle at the time such vehicle is backed against the curb to take on or discharge a load, and it is unlawful for any owner or operator to violate any of the special terms or conditions of any such special permit.

C. On a street where there is a perceptible grade, a vehicle, when stopped or left unattended, shall have a front wheel or a rear wheel turned at an angle against a curb.

Namee says they have begun issuing warnings and that they will soon begin issuing citations. If you are ticketed for 'Failure to Parallel Park' it is a $10 fee.