Tickets For Blocking Sidewalk

[kylejack]

BICYCLE REGISTRATION - This Ordinance is no longer effective and no longer required in the City of Houston. HFD no longer offers this.

This document says bikes should be registered: http://documents.publicworks.houstontx.gov/documents/divisions/planning/bikeway/bike_safety_booklet_eng.pdf

Yet here is a Free Press Houston article saying that they did indeed repeal it http://www.freepresshouston.com/archive/2008/11/mayor-of-montrose-repeals-houstons-city.html ahh fun

[musicman]

This document says bikes should be registered: http://documents.publicworks.houstontx.gov/documents/divisions/planning/bikeway/bike_safety_booklet_eng.pdf

in 2004 yes. we're about to hit 2010.

[kylejack]

Basically I would like to look up the actual ordinance and see if its still there or if HFD is just saying that because its effectively repealed with no enforcement.

[musicman]

Basically I would like to look up the actual ordinance

that would help prior to responding to danielpwils with "have seen no evidence of that."

[kylejack]

that would help prior to responding to danielpwils with "have seen no evidence of that."

Well apparently he hadn't either, so we were on even footing. I'm having trouble tracking down what the ordinance number was though....

[musicman]

Well apparently he hadn't either, so we were on even footing. I'm having trouble tracking down what the ordinance number was though....

i think danielpwils is a step ahead since he was aware of the ordinance repeal.

pops right up.

*Editor's note: Ord. No. 2008-968, § 2, adopted October 29, 2008, repealed Division 2, §§ 45-311--45-319 in its entirety. Formerly said division pertained to registration and derived from Code 1968, § 46-289; Ord. No. 72-1598, §§ 1(1)--1(9), 9-6-72; Ord. No. 72-2309, § 1, 12-20-72; Ord. No. 74-1732, § 1, 10-1-74; Ord. No. 92-1449, § 64, 11-4-92.

[kylejack]

pops right up.

*Editor's note: Ord. No. 2008-968, § 2, adopted October 29, 2008, repealed Division 2, §§ 45-311--45-319 in its entirety. Formerly said division pertained to registration and derived from Code 1968, § 46-289; Ord. No. 72-1598, §§ 1(1)--1(9), 9-6-72; Ord. No. 72-2309, § 1, 12-20-72; Ord. No. 74-1732, § 1, 10-1-74; Ord. No. 92-1449, § 64, 11-4-92.

Thanks!

[woodlandheightskat]

I received one of these this morning. I know that I was in violation and will pay the fine but I have a serious problem with the law. The "reason" that is given for this law is that it allows the handicapped in wheelchairs to use the sidewalks. Not where I am in the Heights. Where my street's sidewalk intersects the cross street it is a curb drop-off (no ramp). Good luck if you're in a wheelchair.

So I get a ticket for directing those in wheelchairs to a safe path and in a few weeks we'll hear about some poor soul going off the curb on my street.

I'm sure someone on the street reported that multiple cars were parked down the block who were in violation. The city's answer for people going 50mph down my street is to ticket the parked cars.

Now for an actual question, is there any ordinance out there that would keep me from blocking my own driveway with my car?

I can understand how frustrating this is...I live on Bayland and we have to be very careful when parking two cars deep. What drives me nuts is that rarely do people even use the sidewalks...half of them are walking in the middle of the street.

[seoid]

I have two choices for parking:

1. In my tiny driveway1/3 of it which is sidewalk

2. blocking my driveway from the street

Both are probably illegal. I've parked both ways, never getting a ticket despite the frequent visits of the cops to a neighbor's place.

I'm on a small side street without much traffic but still I worry about it with 4 months left in my lease.

[Yankee_in_TX]

I am quite sure your neighbors or a nearby dog walker reported you. Until a couple of weeks ago, I partially blocked my sidewalk nearly every night for 3 years. It was still passable, which may have kept anyone from calling on me, but illegal nonetheless. I guess I am lucky to have nicer neighbors.

I am curious, though, why speeders and crumbling infrastructure makes you feel that you should have been given a pass?

(I think I have posted this on here before....)

You never know - we lived in an apt. for 4 years in the Montrose area where parking is putting two cars end to end, going over the sidewalk. Then, after 4 years, a cop started ticketing for EVERYTHING - blocking the sidewalk, parking on the street for more than 24 hours, parking too far from the curb (I didn't get one of these, lol), etc.

It got so bad we had to move because the neighborhood was not safe enough and the nearest legit parking might be 2-3 blocks away.

I think those landlords should be required to point out to tenants that one of the 'two' parking spaces they tell you about is in violation of the law.

[BryanS]

You never know - we lived in an apt. for 4 years in the Mont rose area where parking is putting two cars end to end, going over the sidewalk. Then, after 4 years, a cop started ticketing for EVERYTHING - blocking the sidewalk, parking on the street for more than 24 hours, parking too far from the curb (I didn't get one of these, lol), etc.

Yep, yep, yep.

From my calculations... this harassment, perpetrated upon us at the Hawthorne apts... came at about 7:00 a.m. every morning. I would usually leave the apt at 7:30. Then 7:15. Finally, one day, at ~7:05 - I saw the evil doer myself. She was one block down from us. Putting tickets on everything. I finally moved from that place. Tired of the noise from Club Rainbow... and the parking situation.

[heights_yankee]

i thought about this post this morning when i saw 2 cop cars pulled over at that (gawd-awful-ugly) Q-something business next to the old tamale factory. there was no one else present but one cop opened the front door of their big, annoying crane thing and they were looking around it. at first i expected to see broken glass, i.e. someone broke in to it, but as i drove past it seemed they were just checking it out. i looked for a ticket on it later and there wasn't one.

honestly, i would really like to see them ticket that truck and the cars at the rental property behind 11th street cafe. i can't walk down studewood to get anywhere because both sidewalks are blocked on either side of the street and i sure as skippy ain't taking my kids in a stroller in to studewood. i have to walk over to beverly and cut down. beverly is safer but it also doesn't have sidewalks.

[heights]

Thought I'd post this from the Texas Transportation Code to show that there are a number of areas (other than on a sidewalk) where parking is prohibited. The one many may not know about is "within 30 feet on the approach to a [...] stop sign".

Sec. 545.302. STOPPING, STANDING, OR PARKING PROHIBITED IN CERTAIN PLACES. (a) An operator may not stop, stand, or park a vehicle:

(1) on the roadway side of a vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;

(2) on a sidewalk;

(3) in an intersection;

(4) on a crosswalk;

(5) between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of a place on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless the governing body of a municipality designates a different length by signs or markings;

(6) alongside or opposite a street excavation or obstruction if stopping, standing, or parking the vehicle would obstruct traffic;

(7) on a bridge or other elevated structure on a highway or in a highway tunnel;

(8) on a railroad track; or

(9) where an official sign prohibits stopping.

( b ) An operator may not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge a passenger, stand or park an occupied or unoccupied vehicle:

(1) in front of a public or private driveway;

(2) within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;

(3) within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection;

(4) within 30 feet on the approach to a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic-control signal located at the side of a roadway;

(5) within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to a fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to a fire station within 75 feet of the entrance, if the entrance is properly marked with a sign; or

(6) where an official sign prohibits standing.

( c ) An operator may not, except temporarily to load or unload merchandise or passengers, park an occupied or unoccupied vehicle:

(1) within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing; or

(2) where an official sign prohibits parking.

(d) A person may stop, stand, or park a bicycle on a sidewalk if the bicycle does not impede the normal and reasonable movement of pedestrian or other traffic on the sidewalk.

Sec. 545.303. ADDITIONAL PARKING REGULATIONS. (a) An operator who stops or parks on a two-way roadway shall do so with the right-hand wheels of the vehicle parallel to and within 18 inches of the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.

=

As an editorial note, when I posted this, the editor changed the paragraph indicators for ( b ) to a smiley face and ( c ) to a copyright symbol -- I changed them back but it changed them again, so I had to put spaces between the parentheses and the letters -- anyone know how to turn that off?

[Yankee_in_TX]

I called HPD dispatch a couple times when I used to live by 2nd Baptist. Every Sunday a car parked at Woodway and Winrock (across from the church).

He parked at the corner of the intersection, facing the church, in the right hand turn lane (at a stop light).

So to make a right hand turn you had to illegally turn from the left hand turn lane.

Nothing ever happened.

[heights]

I called HPD dispatch a couple times when I used to live by 2nd Baptist. Every Sunday a car parked at Woodway and Winrock (across from the church).

He parked at the corner of the intersection, facing the church, in the right hand turn lane (at a stop light).

So to make a right hand turn you had to illegally turn from the left hand turn lane.

Nothing ever happened.

Not surprising. There are very few patrol officers that are interested in writing parking tickets, and most are probably not aware of all of the violations. Not all of them are listed on the pre-formatted parking ticket book. There is an "other" box where the less-common ones can be written, but again, the officer has to have the knowledge that it is actually a violation.

[Jesse]

Not surprising. There are very few patrol officers that are interested in writing parking tickets, and most are probably not aware of all of the violations. Not all of them are listed on the pre-formatted parking ticket book. There is an "other" box where the less-common ones can be written, but again, the officer has to have the knowledge that it is actually a violation.

Speaking of, what's the best way to get parking tickets written? 911 is obviously not appropriate, I doubt 311 will work. HPD non-emergency number? Or is there a parking violation service?

[ricco67]

I think if you can get the number to the parking division over at the GRB that would be the best way to go.

There is a pretty good chance you'd get a positive response, they like to feel like they are loved.

[Ross]

Not surprising. There are very few patrol officers that are interested in writing parking tickets, and most are probably not aware of all of the violations. Not all of them are listed on the pre-formatted parking ticket book. There is an "other" box where the less-common ones can be written, but again, the officer has to have the knowledge that it is actually a violation.

When we lived in Midtown, there was a guy who parked 18 wheelers on the street for literally weeks at a time. I had officers tell me on several occasions that there weren't any relevant offenses on the ticket books they had. I finally ended up writing a letter to the Captain for our district, which got results. A few multi-hundred dollar tickets got the trucks moved. I ended up making copies of the ordinance, which I freely passed out to officers, who then occasionally wrote tickets.

[Jesse]

I think if you can get the number to the parking division over at the GRB that would be the best way to go.

There is a pretty good chance you'd get a positive response, they like to feel like they are loved.

GRB? George R Brown? I'm confused...

[kylejack]

GRB? George R Brown? I'm confused...

There's an HPD Special Operations division that has an office on the end of George R. Brown on the left side. That's probably what he's referring to.

[Jesse]

There's an HPD Special Operations division that has an office on the end of George R. Brown on the left side. That's probably what he's referring to.

Ah, gotcha. Thanks

[Heightsite]

Nice example for the public not to park like this lest you receive a parking violation....

[SilverJK]

Did the officer seriously block the sidewalk to write someone a ticket for blocking the sidewalk?!?

[JCR]

Nice example for the public not to park like this lest you receive a parking violation....

 

Idiot.  There are always HPD at that Valero.

[s3mh]

Did the officer seriously block the sidewalk to write someone a ticket for blocking the sidewalk?!?

 

Yeah, unbelievable.  I actually saw a cop break the speed limit trying to catch a speeder the other day.  Who do they think they are?

 

[Heightsite]

I was attempting to stay on topic of the original post and was taking advantage if the opportunity to document our civil servant's regard for the law.

Doubtful he ticketed the truck in front of him.

[mollusk]

m e h . . . HPD's always been in touch with its inner jerk.

[skwatra]

Didn't see this thread back in 2009. I have seen the parking enforcement officers out more often lately, honestly i didn't even know about the 24 hour rule until i saw them chalking tires late last year.

One person had a ticket for blocking a driveway on my street recently, and my friend got one a few weeks ago as well (montrose area). His driveway is not long enough for a car, he and his neighbor both started parking parallel to the driveway on the street to keep the sidewalk clear. They have not been ticketed, but reading the ordinance laws someone posted above, that is illegal as well.

 

I'm going to mention the 'tear up your own sidewalk' idea to him.

 

 

[kbenson]

I received 3 of these in the last couple of months. I know about the law and have paid one of them so far but I have a serious problem with the law. The "reason" that is given for this law is that it allows the handicapped in wheelchairs to use the sidewalks. In Clear lake not all corners have wheelchair ramp including my corner. Where my street's sidewalk intersects the cross street it is a curb drop-off (no ramp). Good luck if you're in a wheelchair.  And because of ground shifting the sidewalks and driveways are all uneven so a wheelchair and a visually impaired person would have a lot of problems trying to use the sidewalks.  Then had company come over and they go a ticket because they didn't want to park their Lexus in the street to get hit!!!!

So I get a ticket for directing those in wheelchairs to a safe path and in a few weeks we'll hear about some poor soul going off the curb on my street.   

I'm sure someone on the street reported that multiple cars were parked down the block who were in violation. The city's answer for people going 50mph down my street is to ticket the parked cars.

Now for an actual question, is there any ordinance out there that would keep me from blocking my own driveway with my car? 

 

Suggestions to help fight these!????

[Ross]

Blocking sidewalks is prohibited because it keeps anyone from using the sidewalk, not just people in wheelchairs, and forces them to go out into the street. Blocking sidewalks is evil and scummy. The word to describe your friends and their Lexus is "entitled" Their precious little car is more important than pedestrian safety, in their eyes. That's a pretty scummy attitude too. I've parked cars on the street for 30+ years, and not once has one been hit. It's not that common, and nothing to worry about.

 

On the tickets? Just pay them, and quit blocking sidewalks.