Trailer Parked Legally Within Limits of Law

Dear Traffic Talk:

I live in a nice neighborhood on a very attractive, scenic street in the West Valley. Someone from another street nearby in the area has been bringing over an old eyesore of a travel trailer and parking it on our street near my house.

Sometimes it is left with a truck and often just the trailer. I guess they don’t want it parked in front of their own house.

What steps can my neighbors and I take to rid our street of this trailer? So far, 1-800-ABANDON has only been a temporary solution.

Frances Joyner

West Hills

Dear Frances:

Complaints about parked vehicles thought to be abandoned are fairly common, according to authorities.

And although there are a number of parking regulatory laws, such laws are carefully designed to protect private property--rarely allowing parking enforcement agents to seize such vehicles, said Michael Inouye, parking administrator for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation.

The particular trailer in your neighborhood apparently is not abandoned, but parked some distance from the owner’s residence--which is not illegal, authorities said.

State law allows impounding abandoned vehicles, but only after 72 consecutive hours pass from the time an official marks their location, Inouye said. If the vehicle is moved during that time, it is not considered abandoned, even if it is returned to the same spot.

Also, a city ordinance prohibits parking trailers on city streets intended for normal vehicle parking. But Inouye said the ordinance exempts trailers less than 22 feet in length, or any trailer--regardless of length--that is designed for human habitation and used for recreation purposes, such as camping.

If a trailer is left on a street for 72 hours without being moved at least once, residents can note the license plate number and call the department’s communication division at (818) 756-9418, Inouye said. Officers will cite or remove the vehicle.

Additional restrictions--including one that could eliminate parking such vehicles altogether--could be instituted through a petition signed by residents in that neighborhood, Inouye said.

That process can be started by calling (818) 756-8784, the West Valley District engineering office at 19040 Vanowen St., Reseda.

Inouye said residents may write him personally at 555 Ramirez St., Space 315, Los Angeles, 90012.

Dear Traffic Talk:

Why doesn’t Caltrans put call boxes in the center dividers on freeways?

I drive every day and night. I always see vehicles stranded and sometimes I stop to assist. However, I take a big risk with my safety when I do that because the call boxes are only on the outside.

Greg Escobedo

North Hollywood

Dear Greg:

Caltrans does not install the call boxes in the inside because it would be unsafe for stranded motorists to make telephone calls from there, according to authorities.

The boxes also need regular maintenance and they would be difficult to service within most freeways’ limited inside shoulder space, said Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation.

Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. To record your comments, call (818) 772-3303. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley@latimes.com