If you have an old unpaid traffic ticket or face the loss of your driver’s license, pay attention. You might get a break.
HAVE TRAFFIC QUESTIONS?
Confused about state or local traffic laws? Send questions and concerns, with your name, email address, phone number and city of residence, to ontheroad@pe.com, or phone 951-368-9670.
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The California Department of Motor Vehicles launched a new amnesty program Oct. 1 designed to help qualified drivers pay their unpaid traffic or non-traffic infraction driving tickets by reducing fines by 50 percent or 80 percent. The Traffic Tickets/Infractions Amnesty Program continues for 18 months through March 31, 2017.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Applicants must contact the Superior Court in the jurisdiction where they received the traffic ticket to find out if they are eligible to participate; they do not go through the DMV. Applicants can find court information and locations from the California Court’s Locator System, or by visiting this link: http://www.courts.ca.gov/find-my-court.htm.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
To qualify, California drivers must have an unpaid traffic ticket that was due Jan. 1, 2013, or have a suspended driver license and are making payments on the ticket. If eligible, they will not have to appear before a judge.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
This amnesty program does not apply to parking tickets, reckless driving and tickets for driving under the influence. Courts, counties and other authorized collection agencies may charge a $50 amnesty program fee. Also, if reinstating your license, the DMV will charge a $55 reinstatement fee. Questions? Visit http://dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/faq/faqstrafficamnestyprogam.googleoff: allgoogleon: all
Q. Ruben Sandoval asked about a confusing issue we recently discussed in this column: parking in handicapped spots on private property. “When it comes to private property, can a business owner who has vacant blue/handicap parking slots available, prevent a handicapped person from using one of their vacant handicapped stalls. This incident happened to me on Aug. 8 in the city of Riverside. I wanted to go to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (91/Mission Inn Avenue) but there were no handicap stalls anywhere near their front door or any other parking spaces elsewhere on the street. I saw that directly across the Old Spaghetti Factory’s front door but on ‘private property,’ in front of a Thai restaurant, were vacant handicap stalls available. So I parked in one of their handicap stalls utilizing my blue placard, and began to make my way across the street.” Sandoval said the owner of the Thai restaurant came out to tell Sandoval that he could not park there because his disabled parking spaces were for use by the Thai restaurant’s patrons only. Sandoval says he was told that if he did not move his vehicle, it would be towed at his expense. “I told him I believed the use of this handicap space was legitimate due to my disability and I was parked legally in this handicap parking slot. I told him I believed he was acting in violation of the law in parking in regard to parking in this handicap stall.” Nevertheless, Sandoval moved his car. He wants to know, “Who was right in this situation?”googleoff: allgoogleon: all
A. The Thai restaurant owner was right, Riverside City Traffic Engineer Gilbert Hernandez said. googleoff: allgoogleon: all
“A private business may request that only business patrons utilize the parking stalls including ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) stalls within their lot. The California Building Code and local guidelines require businesses to provide a minimum number of ADA stalls to meet employee/patron demand and use of an ADA stall by a patron of a neighboring business reduces the number of stalls available to fulfill ADA requirements. In addition, the Thai restaurant has signs posted within their parking lot and at their driveway entrance stating the lot is not for public parking and notes the respective California Vehicle Code,” Hernandez said. googleoff: allgoogleon: all
This is issue has caused much confusion for owners of disabled parking placards. The placard is generally for parking on public roads, streets or highways, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Disabled parking laws for private property are typically under a city or county’s jurisdiction; counties and cities make their own laws about disabled parking and they vary from city to city. There are federal rules that apply, too. Businesses and private property owners may restrict disabled parking spaces on their property for their customers only. Local police may enforce these rules when called by the property owner or if patrolling the property on their own.