Latest news with #ErinLongen
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
The ultra-petty new California law that's tricking confused drivers into paying huge fines
California 's new 'daylighting' law is blindsiding drivers with steep fines for seemingly minor parking violations. The state-wide law, Assembly Bill 413, which went into effect March 1, bans parking within 20 feet of any crosswalk - marked or unmarked - to improve pedestrian visibility. But, many curbs aren't painted red up to the full 20 feet, creating confusion and costly tickets of nearly $120 for unsuspecting drivers. The new rules are so unclear that authorities in San Francisco said they would not fine drivers in violation. Meanwhile, officials in San Diego have written thousands of tickets to motorists. 'It's all about pedestrian safety,' Erin Longen, Parking Enforcement Supervisor with the San Diego Police Department, told Fox 5. 'It's basically that no one can park within 20 feet of an unmarked or marked crosswalk on the approach side of the crosswalk.' To raise awareness ahead of its enforcement, the SDPD began public outreach and issued warnings starting January 1. 'We handed out 1,500 warnings for two months - it was a little blue slip we would leave on cars we saw in violation,' Longen said. 'This helped get the word out ahead of the ticketing and enforcement.' Since enforcement began, more than 4,200 tickets have been issued, totaling nearly $500,000 in fines. 'We've written over 4,200 tickets, which sounds like a high number, but it's less than 10 percent of the tickets we're writing as an agency,' Longen added. In San Diego, most 'daylighting' tickets are being handed out in high-trafficked areas and popular neighborhoods like La Jolla, North Park, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, University Heights, Ocean Beach, and Pacific Beach. 'We're ticketing it citywide, and, obviously, the more impacted areas are going to be where more people live, right?' Longen said. Although the law is meant to reduce pedestrian accidents by improving sightlines at intersections, its rollout has been rocky. Drivers continue to be fined even when curbs aren't painted red to clearly mark the 20-foot zone. Cities like San Francisco have declined to enforce the law due to these challenges, while San Diego has forged ahead. Officials say over 1,000 intersections have been reviewed, with red curbs added at more than 200 and 97 parking meters removed. 'To make it easier for drivers to follow this new law, [San Diego] City teams have evaluated more than 1,000 of the busiest intersections in the densest areas of San Diego,' City of San Diego spokesperson Anthony Santacroce told SFGate. 'Nationwide, 43 states already have daylighting laws, and most prohibit parking within 20 feet of an intersection,' Santacroce added. 'The average length of an automobile in the United States is approximately 14 feet. To help estimate 20 feet, it may be helpful to envision about one car length and a half's worth of distance. Despite these efforts, many curbs remain unmarked, putting drivers at risk of violating the law. The $117 fine is nearly triple the previous $40 penalty, after a decision by the city of San Diego to raise all ticket prices in a search for revenue to help plug a $258 million shortfall in the next fiscal year, NBCSanDiego reported. It is projected to generate up to $3 million for the city by year's end.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
4,200 tickets given out in first two months of California's daylighting law
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The San Diego Police Department's Parking Enforcement team gave out 4,200 tickets for vehicles not in compliance with California's new daylighting law since it first went into effect on Jan. 1. The law makes it illegal for drivers to park their cars within 20 feet of a crosswalk, on the side of the street that faces the crosswalk. 'It's all about pedestrian safety,' Erin Longen, SDPD's Parking Enforcement Supervisor, said. 'So as you approach a crosswalk, just think of any little kid walking to school, you're not going to be able to see them when a car is parked close to the crosswalk.' Poway DMV opens weekend REAL ID appointments as deadline nears SDPD's Parking Enforcement team spent the first two months educating the public and giving out warnings. 'We handed out 1,500 warnings for two months, it was a little blue slip we would leave on cars we saw in violation,' Longen said. This helped get the word out ahead of the ticketing and enforcement, which began on March 1. 'We've written over 4,200 tickets, which sounds like a high number, but it's less than 10% of the tickets were writing as an agency, and we are writing them both proactively and reactively, so people do use the Get It Done App to report violations in their neighborhood, so we respond to those as well as just in the community seeing what we see,' Longen said. She said the most issues the parking enforcement team sees are in the areas where parking is already hard to come by. Specifically, Normal Heights, North Park, Hillcrest, University Heights, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach and La Jolla. The law applies to any crosswalk, even if it's not a marked crosswalk with the white lines on the street, and even if the curb is not painted red, or if the curb is not painted red the full 20 feet length. 'Just remember that some red zones were painted prior to this law, so some of them might only be 5 feet, but we have to give that 20 foot clearance,' she said. A ticket for violating the new law costs $117, which is mandated by the state. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
