Regulations

Long gone are the days when parking was a free-for-all. Parking has become a highly regulated industry for many reasons: it creates major revenue for municipalities; there’s a need for equal access for the disabled, accommodations are made for cultural events like concerts or Sunday church; and parking security must be formalized to monitor unauthorized personnel in sensitive places like schools and hospitals.

But our posts about parking regulations do more than just bring you the latest. We aim to give you context, simple breakdowns complicated jargon, and answer your questions. Are you wondering about whether you need to pay for parking if you have a disabled placard? How many accessible spaces businesses must provide for disabled employees or customers? The difference between loading, standing, and stopping? Read, comment, ask.

Everything you need to know about accessible parking spaces

Everything you need to know about accessible parking spaces

November 30, 2016

Accessible parking spaces are mandatory for all parking facilities on a site, including garages and lots, a regulation required by the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Businesses and privately owned facilities that provide some kind of goods or services much also remove barriers to access in existing lots. How many accessible spaces should there be? […]

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New app for finding accessible parking in Hawai’i

New app for finding accessible parking in Hawai’i

May 19, 2015

A new smartphone app is helping drivers find accessible parking in the state of Hawai’i, according to Maui Now. DPark, an app supported by the Hawai’i State Disability and Communication Access Board, displays 500 photos of accessible spots that are available at airports, government office parking, certain malls, medical facilities, local venues, and state parks. App […]

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The difference between “no parking” and “no stopping”

The difference between “no parking” and “no stopping”

May 5, 2015

Some drivers just don’t know when to stop. And who can blame them? All drivers have been directed by “No parking” signs and “No stopping” signs, but how many have stopped, er, paused to consider the difference between these two dictates? At least one California-based Press Enterprise reader has, and, while the answer to the […]

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A $58,000 ticket: Finland’s income-based fines

A $58,000 ticket: Finland’s income-based fines

April 28, 2015

The more you make, the more you pay — that’s the principle behind Finland’s fines and speeding tickets. The New York Times recently reported a millionaire businessman was fined over $58,000 for doing 64 mph in a 50 mph zone. Fines for serious speeding infractions in Finland are based on income: “The thinking here is that if it […]

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London’s congestion pricing has saved lives

London’s congestion pricing has saved lives

March 11, 2015

Congestion pricing is saving lives and preventing injuries in dramatic numbers in London, inside and outside of the congestion zone. A new study, The Guardian reports, finds that accidents have been reduced by 40% since 2003, when a £5 (approximately $7.50) charge was implemented that year (it was later upped to £8, about $12; then […]

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Safe Route to School has huge impact on child safety & walking rates

Safe Route to School has huge impact on child safety & walking rates

March 10, 2015

It may be widespread from Minnesota to Georgia now, but the Safe Route to School program (or SRTS) was first pioneered by California back in 1999. A recent study out of Berkeley, “Examining Long-Term Impact of California Safe Routes to School Program: 10 Years Later,” takes a look at the impact of the program on safety and on […]

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Ferguson, traffic citations, and racism

Ferguson, traffic citations, and racism

March 6, 2015

It’s official: Ferguson, Missouri is making money off of racially biased traffic citations. The U.S. Department of Justice this week finished its civil rights investigation into the city’s police department and municipal court system, discovering the city’s police department used traffic enforcement to “systematically discriminate against minorities,” as AutoBlog reports. Police officer prejudice and crippling […]

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Lawn ornaments no longer entitle Bostonians to parking spots

Lawn ornaments no longer entitle Bostonians to parking spots

March 4, 2015

Christmas decorations, traffic cones, deck chairs, children’s outgrown toys and old appliances: Following record snowfall, Boston residents have been using whatever they can get their hands on to claim their shoveled-out parking spots while they’re not using them. The unofficial rule, as NPR reports, is “[W]hoever takes the time to dig out a parking space […]

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Missouri sues 13 suburbs over revenue from traffic fines

Missouri sues 13 suburbs over revenue from traffic fines

December 22, 2014 | 0 Comments

Thirteen suburbs that ring St. Louis, MO were sued by the state’s Attorney General last week. The lawsuits claimed that the local governments had breached a state law that requires them to report the percentage of revenue earned from fines for traffic violations. The law further seeks to stifle efforts to derive profit from fines […]

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Uber & the sharing economy

Uber & the sharing economy

December 18, 2014

Is there a busier job than damage control at Uber? Let’s take a quick look at Uber’s recent public relations disasters: In the middle of a hostage crisis in Sydney that ended in three deaths, the company instituted surge pricing. Even though the pricing rose automatically rather than at the behest of a rapacious executive, the […]

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Why traffic estimates are ultra-important

Why traffic estimates are ultra-important

December 16, 2014

Urban planners, engineers and policymakers use traffic projections to settle everything from how many parking spaces a property needs to whether to widen roads, lengthen signal cycles or reduce housing or retail plans. What would happen if these estimates were faulty? Funds would be diverted from projects that really need them. Housing costs could rise. And new developments would […]

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