JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – This week we’re getting answers for a viewer who reached out to us upset that it’s difficult to navigate pulling out of her own driveway without hitting her neighbor’s car, which is frequently parked across from her driveway.
Like many residential neighborhoods in Jacksonville, Jessica McCaffrey’s house lines a narrow street, Dakar Street on the Westside.
“It’s such a narrow road, if there’s traffic coming through, I can’t pull out without hitting the car, without hitting the car across the street,” she explained.
She is worried about what could happen if there’s a fire or medical emergency in her neighborhood.
“My concern is emergency vehicles getting through,” she said.
She sent us videos showing cars and trucks having trouble navigating between cars parked outside her home.
One shows a postal worker driving a mail truck slowly between two cars parked across from each other on either side of Dakar Street and trying not to hit either.
Another shows a garbage truck honking to get the drivers to move their cars so it can pass. When that didn’t work, a worker got out and tried to help the garbage truck driver navigate between the cars, but there just wasn’t enough room.
The truck had to back up and leave without passing to collect the day’s garbage. Two times we see the same problem on different days.
We called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the city’s Public Parking Office to ask whether that was legal. The answer is no.
“It’s a parking citation,” explained Officer Christian Hancock.
If emergency vehicles cannot drive down a street, then cars that block their path can be ticketed and towed. Hancock said it’s up to the officer to decide whether they want to or have to ask a driver to move their vehicle.
He said drivers should also know they can be ticketed if they park within 30 feet of a stop sign or within 20 feet of a crosswalk. The fine is $25. If you park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, the citation will cost you even more, $100.
It is not illegal, however, to park across from a driveway, unless the space between the end of the driveway and the car is less than 10 feet.
Peter Sherwill, Chief of Jacksonville’s Public Parking Office, said that impedes traffic and is considered a violation.
Sherwill said another complaint he receives is from residents who are upset about cars that are abandoned on the road in their neighborhood.
“You cannot park them for longer than 24 hours in the city right-of-way,” Sherwill said.
If you park your car on a public street, even if it’s outside your house, and leave town for a few days, you should know you could be issued a citation.
He said the rule was designed to prevent people from abandoning cars, so his office will do its due diligence to look for obvious signs of abandonment before issuing a citation.
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