parking near fire hydrant

[HighwayMan]

...When I parked I used the distant [sic] that was marked for a hydrant accross [sic] the street which was painted in red only 3 feet. I know I was less than 15 feet but do we need to carry measuring sticks...

I think most people would easily tell the difference between 3 feet and 15 feet without "measuring sticks".

And in case you can't... I just bought a 6-foot steel tape measure with a key ring on it from Home Depot for less than a dollar. You can keep it in your pocket or glove compartment and whip it out any time for a quick measurement. If $63 is no problem, then a dollar shouldn't be.

 

[startedone]

I park 15' 1" from a hydrant figuring if my car catches on fire I'll get a better response time.

 

[rizza21]

I got a parking ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant. los angeles, Ca. I checked to citation code and it states that you should be 15 feet away from it unless the city issued an local law making it shorter. But it must mark or list signs stating the distant. Los Angeles City gov,has never issued an ordinace but they have most of the fire hydrants marked on curb in red. The distant varies from 2 feet to more than 15 feet. When I parked I used the distant that was marked for a hydrant accross the street which was painted in red only 3 feet. I know I was less than 15 feet but do we need to carry measuring sticks or state parking codes. I thought as accross the street I was far enough. I later found out from the YMCA that I went to that tickets are issued there everyday near top the hours because the parking lot gets full and members park alone the street. I know the safety issue is in fact here but writing an average of 4 tickets a day seems to be more of a revenue collection the safety... I would even pay to have the curb painted, but that went on deaf ears. Yes $63.00 is the fine. Well, I want to know is fighting the ticket on the fact that the city never passed an ordinance to shorten the distant by law and have been acting as so by having some hydrants with distants as short as 2 feet. Would a court force the city to issue an ordinance and mark locations? The money for the ticket is of no issue with me, it's only $63 bucks.

did your car get impounded? if it didn't for some reason I liked to know because a lot of peoples own vehicles have been towed because of this.
Or if anyone knows.

 

[Zigner]

did your car get impounded? if it didn't for some reason I liked to know because a lot of peoples own vehicles have been towed because of this.
Or if anyone knows.

Please don't hijack...

 

[startedone]

So in other words, even if there is a City Ordinance that regulates a parking violation, the officer can arbitrarily choose whether to cite based upon the Ordinance or the State law? Is there any hard and fast rule on when one or the other would have to take precedence?

I'm curious (being that I live in the City of Los Angeles myself).

Wouldn't that be a violation of a uniform code?

Also, the OP may have a technical out, if the ticket was written poorly..the OP should post it sans his IDing info.

 

[Zigner]

Wouldn't that be a violation of a uniform code?

Also, the OP may have a technical out, if the ticket was written poorly..the OP should post it sans his IDing info.

No, the OP should NOT post the ticket.

 

[rizza21]

I got a parking ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant. los angeles, Ca. I checked to citation code and it states that you should be 15 feet away from it unless the city issued an local law making it shorter. But it must mark or list signs stating the distant. Los Angeles City gov,has never issued an ordinace but they have most of the fire hydrants marked on curb in red. The distant varies from 2 feet to more than 15 feet. When I parked I used the distant that was marked for a hydrant accross the street which was painted in red only 3 feet. I know I was less than 15 feet but do we need to carry measuring sticks or state parking codes. I thought as accross the street I was far enough. I later found out from the YMCA that I went to that tickets are issued there everyday near top the hours because the parking lot gets full and members park alone the street. I know the safety issue is in fact here but writing an average of 4 tickets a day seems to be more of a revenue collection the safety... I would even pay to have the curb painted, but that went on deaf ears. Yes $63.00 is the fine. Well, I want to know is fighting the ticket on the fact that the city never passed an ordinance to shorten the distant by law and have been acting as so by having some hydrants with distants as short as 2 feet. Would a court force the city to issue an ordinance and mark locations? The money for the ticket is of no issue with me, it's only $63 bucks.

Wow you are real lucky if your car wasn't towed.

 

[flairfighter99]

poor methods in law enforcement

But, you were cited for the CVC section which specifies that you cannot park within 15'. You admit that you parked within 15' of the hydrant. You appear to be guilty. Now you know.

I believe it is justifiable enough to conclude in the committal of all parking violations that the potential violator be forewarned explicitly with adequate signage, it is unjustifiable for any GOOD law to stand by where one is uncertain how to observe it. All parking laws like any form of laws must be enforced and regulated with uniformity, and the only way in which to assure this is with adequate signage (explicit forewarning) of a potential violation. Fire hydrant tickets issued out ought to be the easiest of all parking tickets to contest because majority of these so called no parking zones lack the adequate signage necessary that ALL other NO parking zones are furnished with, how easy it can be for one to not notice the no parking zone where there exists a fire hydrant.

 

[TheGeekess]

I believe it is justifiable enough to conclude in the committal of all parking violations that the potential violator be forewarned explicitly with adequate signage, it is unjustifiable for any GOOD law to stand by where one is uncertain how to observe it. All parking laws like any form of laws must be enforced and regulated with uniformity, and the only way in which to assure this is with adequate signage (explicit forewarning) of a potential violation. Fire hydrant tickets issued out ought to be the easiest of all parking tickets to contest because majority of these so called no parking zones lack the adequate signage necessary that ALL other NO parking zones are furnished with, how easy it can be for one to not notice the no parking zone where there exists a fire hydrant.

The forum prefers that users not necropost.

 

[flairfighter99]

Poor methods of law enforcement

I got a parking ticket for parking too close to a fire hydrant. los angeles, Ca. I checked to citation code and it states that you should be 15 feet away from it unless the city issued an local law making it shorter. But it must mark or list signs stating the distant. Los Angeles City gov,has never issued an ordinace but they have most of the fire hydrants marked on curb in red. The distant varies from 2 feet to more than 15 feet. When I parked I used the distant that was marked for a hydrant accross the street which was painted in red only 3 feet. I know I was less than 15 feet but do we need to carry measuring sticks or state parking codes. I thought as accross the street I was far enough. I later found out from the YMCA that I went to that tickets are issued there everyday near top the hours because the parking lot gets full and members park alone the street. I know the safety issue is in fact here but writing an average of 4 tickets a day seems to be more of a revenue collection the safety... I would even pay to have the curb painted, but that went on deaf ears. Yes $63.00 is the fine. Well, I want to know is fighting the ticket on the fact that the city never passed an ordinance to shorten the distant by law and have been acting as so by having some hydrants with distants as short as 2 feet. Would a court force the city to issue an ordinance and mark locations? The money for the ticket is of no issue with me, it's only $63 bucks.

I would contest this ticket under the grounds that there does not exist Adequate signage to forewarn you of the potential offense, for no good law laid out for people to observe can be well justified if it is to leave anyone in confusion of the observance it properly demands. This law appears to be inexplicit if people without number are frequently becoming victimized and condemned by confusion.

 

[Silverplum]

You're responding to a thread that is about a year and a half old. This poster's issue is resolved by now.

As TheGeekess already stated, this forum prefers you not post to older threads.

If you have a question, please start your own thread.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

In spite of your necro-post, I will respond to your dissertation. I can go to anyone of the 50 US states, be ready to park, see a fire hydrant and say to myself, "Self, you better not park within 15 feet of that thing or you might get a ticket".

 

[Mass_Shyster]

I would contest this ticket under the grounds that there does not exist Adequate signage to forewarn you of the potential offense,

I suspect the time to contest this ticket has long past.

Also, would you also contest a red light violation based on the argument that there is no signage on the red light indicating that you stop when the light turns red?

Would you argue that crossing a double solid yellow line painted in the middle of the road is also acceptable because there is no sign indicating that you are not permitted to cross the solid double yellow line?

It's been a really long time since I took my driving test, but I'd wager that there was something in the driving manual explaining that you can't park next to a fire hydrant.

 

[CdwJava]

I believe it is justifiable enough to conclude in the committal of all parking violations that the potential violator be forewarned explicitly with adequate signage, it is unjustifiable for any GOOD law to stand by where one is uncertain how to observe it. All parking laws like any form of laws must be enforced and regulated with uniformity, and the only way in which to assure this is with adequate signage (explicit forewarning) of a potential violation. Fire hydrant tickets issued out ought to be the easiest of all parking tickets to contest because majority of these so called no parking zones lack the adequate signage necessary that ALL other NO parking zones are furnished with, how easy it can be for one to not notice the no parking zone where there exists a fire hydrant.

Because it is included in the driver's manual, taught in driver's ed., and has been common knowledge and the law since well before I was driving many decades ago. It's akin to understanding what to do when you see a red light ... there's no sign that says "Stop on red" yet we know because we have been taught that it is so. The same with not parking within 15' or a hydrant.

And the law does not require we post signs at each and every fire hydrant ... or on every sidewalk saying no driving or parking on the sidewalk ... or on all streets saying that you can't park more than 18" from the curb or facing the wrong way ... or outside the lines in marked spaces on the street ... etc. Imagine the signage clutter - and driver distractions - if there WAS such a requirement for all parking laws.

Oh, yeah. and it is considered bad form to post to 17 month old threads.