Starting next month, Oak Ridge police officers will begin ticketing motorists who violate new parking ordinances that prohibit parking on curbs and sidewalks.
Police officers will begin issuing the citations on Monday, June 18, and ticketed motorists could face fines and court costs as high as about $159.
The new ordinances, approved by Oak Ridge City Council in March and April, also prohibit vehicles and objects placed inside of them from protruding outside marked parking spaces and clarify that vehicles must be parked in the same direction as the traffic flow.
Although the new ordinances are already in effect, city officials said in a press release Monday that they are providing a grace period to allow residents and visitors to learn about the changes. An educational campaign that includes flyers is under way.
The parking ordinance changes support initiatives approved last fall as part of a “Not in Our City” plan.
City officials said they wanted to use the new parking ordinances to make sure that pedestrians can use sidewalks and emergency vehicles and other large vehicles can safely maneuver on residential streets
”The new ordinance provisions are needed to enhance public safety by keeping streets and sidewalks unobstructed,” City Manager Mark Watson said in the press release.
The new parking requirements also:
- prohibit recreational vehicles and utility trailers from permanently parking in on-street parking spaces while providing exceptions for specified temporary purposes,
- clarify existing on-street parking requirements, and
- add extra “prohibited parking places” to the on-street parking provisions.
The educational flyer and more information, including photographs, is available in the “Featured Projects” section of the city’s website.
For more information, call the Oak Ridge Police Department at (865) 425-4399.
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