In the Sept. 5, 2008, edition, I asked why the resident on Ayer
Drive was able to paint the curb in front of his house blue.
“In the Sept. 5, 2008, edition, I asked why the resident on Ayer Drive was able to paint the curb in front of his house blue. In a follow-up, It said they may not qualify under the new rules and their permit would be under reviewed at the end of June 2009. It is very clear that no person at this residence is qualified for handicap parking. All neighbors will agree on this. Who will be responsible for painting over the blue curb?”
Red Phone: Dear Curb Appeal, We can understand your frustration if your neighbor doesn’t qualify for the handicap space, but takes up a valuable parking spot in the already tight cul-de-sac.
The city sent out a form that the owners of the home at that address need to fill out requesting permission for the spot. The city is currently waiting for the owners to fill it out and return it so their case can be reviewed, city engineer Don Dey said. The city doesn’t have a time frame for the application to be filled out, he said.
Just a reminder, all cars that park in handicap spots are required by the DMV to display placards in the window. Local police can write tickets for people using placards illegally. The fine starts at $250 and could go as high as $3,500, and the penalty could include imprisonment up to six months or both.
Can curb be painted red?
“I live in the Montebello Ridge Apartments and use the driveway located on Montebello, not Wren. When exiting, we are unable to clearly see oncoming traffic because of the cars parked immediately to the sides. Every morning when I turn left to drive off, I can’t stop thinking if there’s a car coming. I creep out slowly then pull out but if a car were coming, I wouldn’t see it anyway. Can this be looked at to see if it’s a problem and should also be painted red, or is it me being really paranoid of an accident possibly going to happen?”
Red Phone: Dear Obstructed View, you can never be too careful when it comes to safety. Blind turns like this one are always tough. Even when proceeding slowly, it can often be tricky to complete the turn. Sometimes you have to try to look around the other car or through the other car’s windows just to see if anyone is coming.
Dey said the city may be able to look into painting the curb red there but he wanted to talk to you to find out your address and get more information about the problem. So good caller, call the engineering department at 846-0451 and ask for Albert.
And be sure to let the Red Phone know how it goes and what you find out.
When is a space really a space?
“I am always shopping at Safeway and I was wondering if the space in front of The Mattress Warehouse on First Street that is painted all blue is a true handicap space. There is no sign posted in front of it or on the ground. It looks like it was painted by someone and am wondering if it is OK to park there if I don’t have a handicap sign. Thanks!”
Red Phone: Dear True Blue, sounds like you got a case of the blues. The parking spot was painted by a former tenant of the building who is no longer there, Dey said. Since the blue space is no longer needed, the property owner will be removing the paint to make it a normal spot, he said. But in the meantime, Dey recommended not parking in the blue spot until it is restriped unless you are handicap – just to be safe.
