It’s the itch you just can’t scratch in parking-starved California areas. Do you park at that broken meter and risk getting a ticket or spend more time trying to find another spot to leave your car? The laws pertaining to broken meters alter from city to city, leaving motorists confused when traveling or visiting other places. Worse yet, there’s rarely posted signs informing you of the local law, even though it is the governing body’s fault if the meter is broken in the first place.
Governor Brown has alleviated that stress this week, with a new bill that now permits motorists statewide to park at broken meters or in spots with inoperable paying stations for the limited time alotted without risking the burden of a ticket. The legislation–Senate Bill 1388–was needed to “help assure that California drivers are not ticketed based on unfair or unknown parking rules,” according to a press release from state Senator Mark DeSaulnier of Concord, who penned the bill.
The bill, sponsored largely by the Automobile Association of America, will go into effect on January 1 of next year.