Avalon Police Chief Issues Parking Warning

AVALON – Avalon Police Chief David Dean issued the following letter to residents and visitors concerning parking facing the opposite direction of traffic:
“Parking facing in the opposite direction of travel, besides being illegal, presents an imminent safety hazard to drivers, pedestrians, and other vehicles on our roadways.
“In order to accomplish this particular parking maneuver, the driver must first cross an on-coming lane of travel. Once this has been accomplished, the driver must cross against on-coming traffic once more when leaving the parking spot.
“In short, one must commit two moving violations in order to commit an illegal parking offense. Additionally, the driver’s line of sight is seriously compromised upon leaving the spot by the fact that the driver’s position is curbside, not street-side, and therefore blocked by other parked vehicles or obstructions: bicyclists, pedestrians, as well as other cars, may be approaching unseen.
“The Avalon Police Department has grown concerned at what appears to be a growing laxity regarding this issue and its possible ramifications on the safety of our citizens. To this end, we have begun to enforce the parking statute governing this violation to as great an extent as our resources allow.
“I’m reaching out to you all now to make you aware of our effort and to request your cooperation and compliance in this simple, but important, matter.
“Please take a moment also to make sure your family members, visitors, and friends are made familiar with this state statute as well as our enforcement efforts.”