By Robert Haugh
California’s new “Daylighting Law” is here, and it’s changing the way we will have to park in Santa Clara.
As of January 1, 2025, Mission City drivers must stay clear of crosswalks. The goal is to keep pedestrians safe and stop accidents before they happen.
Signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 10, 2023, Assembly Bill 413 (AB 413) bans parking within 20 feet of marked or unmarked crosswalks. If a crosswalk has a curb extension, the no-parking zone shrinks to 15 feet. That extra space helps everyone see better. Cars can’t hide pedestrians. Pedestrians can’t surprise oncoming traffic.
The Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) can start writing tickets right now. But they plan to give residents a little breathing room. All through January, they’ll focus on education first and not write tickets for offenses.
But starting in February, the $53 fines start rolling out.
Santa Clarans may see no parking signs popping up soon. Over the next few months, the City of Santa Clara will add fresh red curb paint or “No Parking” markers near busy crosswalks. The City will tackle high-foot-traffic intersections first. Then they’ll move on to other spots where people often cross without signals or stop signs.
This law applies with or without red curbs.
It’ll be interesting to see if the SCPD actually does enforce this around the University. They certainly don’t enforce time limits or blocking driveways.
I continue to be surprised by the number of people walking at night wearing all dark clothing. When they taught driving in high school they made a big deal about defensive driving. We seriously need some defensive walking. It also seems the dark clothes causes inattention and an assumption that ‘If I can see the car’s headlights, surely they can see me.’ Guess what????
“All told, about 82 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents occurred during dusk, dawn, or nighttime.”
https://huntlaw.com/2024/09/26/are-pedestrian-accidents-more-likely-to-occur-at-night/
Don’t trust laws to keep you alive, trust your good sense. If your life matters, that is. It probably matters to someone you know.
I fully agree with Myers! I drive a lot a night and see the dark cloths/no glowing anything all the time. It’s not a mom with a stroller, during the day who are hit – it’s idiots acting invisible.
This new “safety law” is going to generate a lot of new revenue for Gavin to spend.