Starting next year you could be fined for parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk in L.A.

Starting Jan. 1 you could be cited for parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk even if there’s no warning sign or painted red curb under a statewide parking law that’s set to be enforced next year. Assembly Bill 413, or California’s “daylighting” law, went into effect in 2024 and prohibits drivers from stopping, standing or parking their car within 20 feet of a crosswalk and 15 feet of a crosswalk with a curb extension. Drivers within the city of Los Angeles should already be used to this rule as the city’s municipal code currently prohibits drivers from parking within 25 feet of “the approach to the nearest line of a crosswalk.” The rest of Los Angeles County is now falling in line with the state’s law. Now the only exception for having your car within 20 feet of a crosswalk is “when necessary to avoid traffic conflicts or in compliance with directions from a peace officer or an official traffic control device,” according to a spokesperson from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department parking enforcement detail. In 2020, 26% of bicyclist and other cyclist fatalities occurred at intersections, which according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “are extremely hazardous for bicyclists and present a high risk for crashes where bicyclists cross paths with motorists.” Parts of California including the city of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Alameda already have a version of this pedestrian safety rule in place, however the California “daylighting” law creates a uniform rule across the state.