Los Angeles Pedestrians Look Forward to Relaxed Jaywalking Law
Pedestrian law is changing again in Los Angeles, according to the Department of Parking and Traffic. In what has always been one of the city’s most notorious ordinances, it now also includes exceptions in the form of a new and more relaxed policy.
The new ordinance, which takes effect October 1, will be called “The City of Los Angeles Traffic Code,” and makes pedestrian law one of the more open and flexible laws, which is something all LA municipalities have been trying to do for years.
The new ordinance will allow drivers to have their cars parked between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. in a bike lane, or in a bike lane with a posted 25-cent fee, with the exception that parking is allowed in bike lanes in low-speed traffic areas and if there is a red traffic light for a bike lane; and it will allow parking in pedestrian areas after 11 p.m., or before 6 a.m. If the driver parks in a bike lane, they will have to leave the bike lane and reenter the roadway.
Other exceptions can be made, but not by businesses. It will be important to park in the bike lane or in a low-speed traffic area or if there is a sign, with a red traffic light for the location of the bike lane. Drivers will be required to leave the bike lanes for two hours after each trip to and from their vehicle, and on a return trip, they will be required to leave the bike lane and reenter the street.
The City’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee will have the final say on which exceptions are made by the Department of Parking and Traffic, but the new ordinance will require that the committee has an active role because it will be issuing exceptions. The committee will also be made up of members of the public.
The department also said it will be issuing parking citations for bicycle parking that is not in the designated bike lanes, including ones where the driver or passengers park in the bike lanes, or where the driver parks in a lane that goes through a building.