When parked cars extend beyond the white lines

Colleague Ben Watanabe writes: “My route between the office and home sometimes takes me by the Angel of the Winds Arena, and I’ve noticed large trucks using the diagonal parking spaces along Oakes. But because they are trucks, they noticeably stick out beyond the white lines marking the spaces and into the right of way. What’s the legality of those white lines?”

Kathleen Baxter from Everett Public Works looked up the rules and gave this response: “The length of the white lines does not indicate the maximum length of parked vehicles. The question in determining a violation is whether the parked vehicle leaves less than 10 feet to the center line, or to the lane marker separating lanes of travel in the same direction (Everett Municipal Code 46.28.140). A vehicle must be able to freely pass in its lane of travel and not have to swerve or steer across the center line or into another lane to avoid colliding with the parked vehicle.”

People can report parking violations online at everettwa.gov/parkingconcerns, or by calling the non-emergency phone number, 425-407-3999.

Have a question? Email streetsmarts@heraldnet.com.