Question: I received a parking ticket the other day for backing into my parking spot in the Pomona Avenue parking lot near the Metrolink station. I was in a corner where backing out would have required me to do a three-point turn into a blind corner.
Why does Fullerton require front parking? It is a two-way parking structure with perpendicular spaces, so there is no problem with people exiting the wrong way like in an inclined place.
The sour grapes in me (the part that had to write the $25 check) say it’s either a way for Fullerton to get money through an arbitrary rule or a way to get the lost money back by not being able to inspect people’s license plate stickers What’s the real reason?
Dave Liberman
Anaheim
Responnse: I checked with Lt. Kevin Hamilton of the Fullerton Police Department. He said that historically the rule was originally designed for parking lots with shrubs and trees when the wheelbase from rear to front was longer. Cars backed into gaps and often damaged plants.
Dave Langstaff, traffic engineering analyst for the city, provided the rest of the information. He said, first, parking structures and parking lots should all be posted with “no backing up” signs. With this decision, the police will be able to check whether the rear number plates are registered and legal.
Additionally, it is standard policy to have lot permit tags in front windows and parking stickers on the back of cars for employees. This prevents motorists from parking in the wrong places.
Barbara Giasone
Fullerton Newsstand
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