Required Upright Signs, Pavement Markings Often Missing : Tickets on Hold for Parking in Disabled Zones

Several city police departments in Ventura County have stopped issuing tickets to drivers who park illegally in spots reserved for the handicapped because those spaces are improperly marked.

A law that took effect in January requires that parking spaces for the handicapped have upright signs and special pavement markings.

As a result, police officers in Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula and Thousand Oaks say they have stopped citing violators who park in handicapped-parking spots unless both types of marking are present.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office also is aware of the problem. In a memorandum to Sheriff’s Department officials, Municipal Judge Barry B. Klopfer said: “Unless the handicapped-parking space complies with these new requirements, it is not a violation for anyone to park.”

Klopfer also relayed that message to police chiefs in Ventura County at a meeting earlier this year.

But some confusion remains.

“We’re not aware of it, and we haven’t been issuing tickets any differently because of it,” said Sue Taylor, a Ventura city police services officer.

To clear things up, the Legislature is now considering an amendment to the law that would allow authorities to cite any motorist who illegally parks in a space marked for the handicapped, regardless of how it is marked, said Scott Johnson, an aide to state Sen. William Cravens (R-Oceanside), who authored the legislation.

Port Hueneme Acts

Some cities have already taken steps to properly mark their handicapped-parking spots. A Port Hueneme police sergeant said the city has done an inventory of all parking spots and informed businesses of incorrectly marked signs.

In Thousand Oaks, about half of the city’s parking spaces reserved for the handicapped will have to be re-marked, according to Sheriff’s Department Cmdr. William Wade.

“The law was changed, but there were no provisions for handicapped parking stalls that were already there,” Wade said.

The intent of the new law was to make the spaces for the handicapped more visible to motorists.

But the limitations of the new posting law came to light after a man who had been ticketed for parking in a handicapped zone presented a photograph showing that the zone was improperly marked, said Ventura County Municipal Judge John J. Hunter, who presided over the case.

The fine for illegally parking in a handicapped zone is $50 for first-time offenders and up to $250 for repeat offenders.

Violators who park in properly marked spaces for the handicapped will be issued tickets throughout Ventura County, Sheriff’s Department officials emphasized.

And in Los Angeles, parking enforcement officials said they continue to cite motorists who park in any space reserved for the handicapped, no matter how it is marked.

Staff writer Denise Hamilton also contributed to this story.