# Parking the wrong way ticketable?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 4, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318 "2012-01-04T00:54:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/1 "2012-01-04T00:54:46Z")
I realize this will probably vary from state to state, or even city to city, but:
is parking the opposite direction of traffic a ticketable offense?
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### Author:  [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/2 "2012-01-04T01:04:33Z")
This very much will differ by jurisdiction. It is illegal in Chicago:
> [@](#):
>
> 9-64-020 Parallel parking – Obstruction of traffic.
>
> ```
> (a) It shall be unlawful to stand or park any vehicle, except for a motorcycle or motor scooter, in a roadway other than parallel with the edge of the roadway **headed in the direction of lawful traffic movement** and with the curbside wheels of the vehicle within 12 inches of the curb or edge of the roadway; provided, however, this prohibition shall not apply to the parking of any vehicle in a designated diagonal parking zone or space.
>
> ```
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### Author:  [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/3 "2012-01-04T01:04:56Z")
Yup! It is in most driving handbooks, and my friend who lives on a dinky court (of all things) got a ticket in the Philadelphia suburbs for that! Luckily, it is not a moving violation. Your local authority’s actions may vary, of course.
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### Author:  [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/4 "2012-01-04T01:11:36Z")
Drat, missed the edit window. The Chicago municipal code is evidently redundant, as Illinois state law also says it’s illegal:
> [@](#):
>
> (625 ILCS 5/11‑1304) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11‑1304)
> Sec. 11‑1304. Additional parking regulations.
> (b) Except when otherwise provided by local ordinance, every vehicle stopped or parked upon a one‑way roadway shall be so stopped or parked parallel to the curb or edge of the roadway, **in the direction of authorized traffic movement** , with its right‑hand wheels within 12 inches of the right‑hand curb or as close as practicable to the right edge of the right‑hand shoulder, or with its left‑hand wheels within 12 inches of the left‑hand curb or as close as practicable to the left edge of the left‑hand shoulder.
If you’re looking for information on a specific jurisdiction, you’ll have to specify, but I imagine it’s illegal pretty much everywhere.
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### Author:  [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/5 "2012-01-04T01:16:50Z")
I’ve done it for years in the city where I live (in front of my house on a relatively quiet residential street) without incident, until a couple of months ago when I (and everyone else on the street parked illegally in one way or another) all got “courtesy” warning notices from the police saying they observed the offense but weren’t going to write a ticket at that time.
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### Author:  [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/6 "2012-01-04T01:31:37Z")
Definitely illegal in _most_ municipalities, although as you said of course this varies. I lived in a small town on Delmarva where it was legal, but let’s just say that was a very unique town in more ways than one. I assume it’s illegal in most towns and virtually all larger cities. I’d also assume that in smaller towns and areas with less traffic would more likely be allowed or at least tolerated by law enforcement.
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### Author:  [@EKDS5k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EKDS5k)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/7 "2012-01-04T02:32:47Z")
A better question is why is it illegal? Obviously you’re not disrupting traffic if you’re parked; your car takes up the same space backwards or forwards. It’s true you cross over into the opposing lane briefly, but U-turns and 3-point turns are generally legal if they don’t interfere with traffic, and you spend more time in the wrong lane doing those. It can’t be because we’re not trusted to parallel park properly on the left side, all (okay lots) of the one way streets around here have legal parallel parking on either side. I can’t see a good reason to ban this.
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### Author:  [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/8 "2012-01-04T02:32:52Z")
Illegal in [California](http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22502.htm) too. Really the same as parking on the wrong side of the street. Ticketable for sure.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/9 "2012-01-04T02:34:43Z")
Illegal in CA. Speaking from experience.
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### Author:  [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/10 "2012-01-04T02:40:25Z")
> [@EKDS5k](#):
>
> A better question is why is it illegal?
I think it’s simply because it means you necessarily cross the oncoming traffic lane head-on while both parking and leaving.
While in reality probably not a problem at all on a quiet street, it could be quite dangerous on a busy street, and my guess is it’s easier to write the law making it illegal everywhere.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/11 "2012-01-04T03:12:16Z")
> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> I think it’s simply because it means you necessarily cross the oncoming traffic lane head-on while both parking and leaving.
It is in the interest of public safety to not have cars pulling out in unexpected directions. Predictability is safety.
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### Author:  [@EKDS5k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EKDS5k)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/12 "2012-01-04T03:17:56Z")
> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> I think it’s simply because it means you necessarily cross the oncoming traffic lane head-on while both parking and leaving.
>
> While in reality probably not a problem at all on a quiet street, it could be quite dangerous on a busy street, and my guess is it’s easier to write the law making it illegal everywhere.
Making a left turn into an alley, a 3-point turn, and a U-turn all necessitate that you cross the oncoming traffic lane, and yet they are all legal somewhere. With the left turn, you’re even allowed to hold up traffic coming from behind you. Actually if you read my original post, I mentioned this already.
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> It is in the interest of public safety to not have cars pulling out in unexpected directions. Predictability is safety.
If it were legal, it wouldn’t be unexpected. And as always, the onus would be on the parked car to ensure that the way is clear before pulling out.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/13 "2012-01-04T03:18:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#):
>
> It is in the interest of public safety to not have cars pulling out in unexpected directions. Predictability is safety.
But there’s nothing unexpected about a car that is facing the opposite direction as you coming out on the opposite side of the road to you.
**zombiewolf** ’s explanation makes more sense.
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### Author:  [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/14 "2012-01-04T03:36:17Z")
> [@zombywoof](#):
>
> I think it’s simply because it means you necessarily cross the oncoming traffic lane head-on while both parking and leaving.
>
> While in reality probably not a problem at all on a quiet street, it could be quite dangerous on a busy street, and my guess is it’s easier to write the law making it illegal everywhere.
It’s also more difficult for a driver to see a solitary backwards-facing car when it’s dark, owing to the presence of reflectors on the back of cars but not the front.
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### Author:  [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/15 "2012-01-04T04:06:03Z")
It is illegal in most places I’ve been in the US, but very much legal in many places in the UK, such as London. It’s not at all uncommon there to see cars parked headlight to headlight.
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### Author:  [@quenda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quenda)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/16 "2012-01-04T04:16:39Z")
> [@suranyi](#):
>
> It is illegal in most places I’ve been in the US, but very much legal in many places in the UK, such as London.
I noticed this in the UK, and looked at the law. It turned out that it was legal by daytime, but illegal at night. Nobody else seemed to be aware of this.
The reason so many people parked that way was that the streets were too narrow to turn in, and there were no driveways either, the towns being built before cars existed.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/17 "2012-01-04T04:23:28Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> But there’s nothing unexpected about a car that is facing the opposite direction as you coming out on the opposite side of the road to you.
Huh? A car parked on its own left side would have to pull out into oncoming traffic. I would say that a car pulling out into my lane and facing me would be unexpected.
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### Author:  [@DHMO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DHMO)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/18 "2012-01-04T08:17:35Z")
Here in Denver, it is only illegal if _I_ park facing the wrong way.
I live on a quiet, little-traveled residential side street, and one day I came home and needed to get the truck, parked in the driveway in front of where I usually park my sedan, to go to Home Depot. Rather than playing “Musical Cars”—pulling up in the car, getting out, pulling the truck out, getting back in the car, pulling in to the driveway, etc.—I just pulled up in front of the house (the wrong way, since my house is on the left as I approach), got into the truck and left. I was gone only 15 minutes, and there was a ticket on it when I got back.
On my street, many cars park facing the wrong way. On any given day, there is _at least_ one car on my block parked facing traffic. When it snows, these cars sometimes still have snow on them days—even a week or more—later, showing that they have not been moved at least since the most recent snowfall. _Every single time_, there is a conspicuous lack of ticket on the windshield.
So I guess there is a local ordinance making illegal _for me_ to park on the left on a two-way street, but not for anybody else.
:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/19 "2012-01-04T08:40:07Z")
When my mother was ticketed for this, having got into bad habits after a long stint in the UK (where, as noted, this was quite common), the reason given on the ticket was “parking too far from the curb”
It took us a while to realise this meant the curb _on the other side of the road_
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2012, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parking-the-wrong-way-ticketable/608318/20 "2012-01-04T12:22:33Z")
File this under: Nothing good can come from it, but something bad might come from it.
Ergo: Illegal.
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