parking citation near dowtown Tacoma for "not turning my front wheels" - Heh? (Fife: live, cost of)

[Haakon]

how the hell was I supposed to know this parking rule?

It's on the drivers test, and in the WA drivers handbook. You do have a license, right?

http://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense...erguide-en.pdf

PDF Page 61, 3-25
Parking on a Hill
When you park on a hill:
• with a curb and are facing uphill, set your parking brake and
turn your steering wheel away from the curb. This way, if
your vehicle starts to roll, it will roll into the curb.
• facing downhill, set your parking brake and turn your
steering wheel toward the curb.
• and there is no curb, set your parking brake and turn your
steering wheel toward the edge of the road. This way, if your
vehicle starts to roll, it will roll away from traffic.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

As I drive a lot around the region, I've received a few "ticky tack" seemingly unnecessary parking tickets over the years. It always amuses me to see the meter policeperson vehicles parked at weird angles and in sometimes hazardous places. Perhaps a small measure of revenge: a couple of times I noted their infraction and left a handwritten "ticket" on their vehicle when they weren't looking.

That’s hilarious! Take a photo of their weirdly parked cars next time and broadcast all over the ‘net!

[CharlesRamon]

Originally Posted by Sockeye66

I remember that rule from my 1982 Drivers Ed course and practice it every time I park on a hill. If the hood is pointed down the hill, you turn wheels in. If the nose is pointing up, turn the wheels out.

The intent is to have the curb stop the vehicle in case it begins rolling. I'm sure not as common of a hazard in today's vehicles as it was back in the good ol' days.

people always get this backwards.

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by Haakon

how the hell was I supposed to know this parking rule?

It's on the drivers test, and in the WA drivers handbook. You do have a license, right?

LOL! Yes, I do have a WA state ENHANCED driver's license.

However, note that I'm from out of state.

I'd wish WA was more strict in giving out driver's license, such as other states I have lived in.

In places like Hawaii, California, Illinois and Indiana, if you're from out of state and want an in-state/local driver's license, you have to take a written exam.

WA state you ask? The DMV here give out driver's license like halloween candies! YOu just trade in your out of state driver's license for a WA state regular (not enhanced) driver's license, and bam, you get a temporary driver's license on the spot. THen you wait about a week for the real driver's license card to arrive in the mail.

So no, I did not take the WA state driver's license written exam.

I have lived in other parts of the US where there are hardly any hills. And even if I did park on hills, there were no bozo laws where I would get a $40.00 citation for not turning my front wheels toward the curbside.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by SunAndRain808

LOL! Yes, I do have a WA state ENHANCED driver's license.

However, note that I'm from out of state.

I'd wish WA was more strict in giving out driver's license, such as other states I have lived in.

In places like Hawaii, California, Illinois and Indiana, if you're from out of state and want an in-state/local driver's license, you have to take a written exam.

WA state you ask? The DMV here give out driver's license like halloween candies! YOu just trade in your out of state driver's license for a WA state regular (not enhanced) driver's license, and bam, you get a temporary driver's license on the spot. THen you wait about a week for the real driver's license card to arrive in the mail.

So no, I did not take the WA state driver's license written exam.

I have lived in other parts of the US where there are hardly any hills. And even if I did park on hills, there were no bozo laws where I would get a $40.00 citation for not turning my front wheels toward the curbside.

OP, I sympathize with you, but it truly is a safety issue, for one thing. Now, if you'd parked on only a slight grade and gotten a ticket, you'd be quite justified in crying "foul". I've heard of people being ticketed, even on something no one would remotely describe as a hill. But it sounds like that's not the case here.

Also, you should kiss the ground in WA State, for having such low ticket fees. California uses tickets to rake in badly-needed revenue to state or local coffers. In CA, your' $40 ticket would have been $140, and that's on the rare good day. They can charge twice that, if they want, and they do, more and more often.

Just a bit of perspective. It's all relative. Better luck in the future. Any ticket is a pain.

[MondoTime]

Originally Posted by SunAndRain808

how the hell was I supposed to know this parking rule?

Uh, you were supposed to pay attention in Driver's Ed.



(the answer could not be more simple)

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by MondoTime

Uh, you were supposed to pay attention in Driver's Ed.



(the answer could not be more simple)

^^ well, I grew up in an area that was flat. And in terms of parallel parking on the streets, turning the wheels into the curb was never emphasized to me.

[SunAndRain808]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, I sympathize with you, but it truly is a safety issue, for one thing. Now, if you'd parked on only a slight grade and gotten a ticket, you'd be quite justified in crying "foul". I've heard of people being ticketed, even on something no one would remotely describe as a hill. But it sounds like that's not the case here.

Also, you should kiss the ground in WA State, for having such low ticket fees. California uses tickets to rake in badly-needed revenue to state or local coffers. In CA, your' $40 ticket would have been $140, and that's on the rare good day. They can charge twice that, if they want, and they do, more and more often.

Just a bit of perspective. It's all relative. Better luck in the future. Any ticket is a pain.

Well, I 've learned my lesson. Now I know to always turn my freaking front wheels when parking on a hill or a graded road.

Yeah, I've heard from relatives and an old buddy that traffic/parking citations in California is outrageous. Such a greedy state.

[elkotronics]

In all actuality, although tickets are really annoying, it is a good law. It's designed to keep your car in it's parking spot if it should slip out of gear (or a kid or animal monkied it free somehow) and roll. If that happened it would just stay at the curb after bouncing off of it and not roll out into the street and hit who knows what in it's way. Just use your imagination.

[PRND321]

WA is not the only state with this in driver's manual (something good to know). Yet ticketing for it is nothing but greed. Before you know it they are going to ticket you for blinker fluid level.