Politics & Government

Changing Lake Walker Parking Involves State Law

The Maryland General Assembly will have to pass a law to allow residents to park partially on the sidewalk.

Allowing Lake Walker residents to contine parking their cars the way they’ve always parked will require the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation.

On Monday, Councilman Bill Henry introduced a resolution in the City Council, asking the Baltimore City delegation to the legislature to support a bill allowing the city to amend parking laws for neighborhoods in special circumstances.

Although the city’s Department of Transportation enforces parking rules in Baltimore, the parking laws are actually set in state law.

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Henry said Lake Walker residents, some of whom have lived there for 40 years, have been parking partially on the sidewalks. Residents park that way so large vehicles such as trash trucks, fire trucks and school buses can negotiate the narrow streets.

But on Jan. 25 and Jan. 27 in 2010, residents were ticketed and told they could be cited at any time for partially parking on sidewalks, according to an email from Eileen Gwinn, Lake Walker Community Association president. 

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She wrote that an additional person was ticketed in March 2011. Gwinn said the tickets from 2010 were for $52 and the ticket from 2011 was for $77. In all but one case, residents paid the tickets because they couldn't afford the time to dispute the citation. 

Henry said when he reached out to the transportation department, he discovered that the laws are set at the state level, and the department has to enforce traffic laws as written.

Henry said that he's had discussions with Del. Maggie McIntosh and Del. Mary Washington, who represent the area, about the resolution.


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