Home » Walnut Creek to Talk Jaywalking, Loading Zones and Permit Parking

Walnut Creek to Talk Jaywalking, Loading Zones and Permit Parking

by CC News
Walnut Creek

The Walnut Creek City Council is being asked by staff to update multiple items in their Municipal Code – including jaywalking, loading zones and preferential residential permit parking.

Prohibited Street Crossings
Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2147 on September 30, 2022 and this bill went into
effect on January 1, 2023. AB 2147 amended the Vehicle Code to prohibit a peace officer from
stopping a pedestrian for entering the roadway in violation of specified traffic infractions unless a
reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving
vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power. The bill effectively decriminalizes
“jaywalking” as a matter of State law.

The amendments implemented by AB 2147 do not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care
for their safety, and do not relieve a driver of a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of any pedestrian within the roadway.

Section 3-5.904 of the Walnut Creek Municipal Code (W.C.M.C.) currently prohibits certain types of street crossings as follows: Section 3-5.904 Crossing Streets in Crosswalks.

No pedestrian shall cross a roadway other than by a crosswalk in the central traffic district or in
any business district.

Staff recommends removing Section 3-5.904 from the municipal code in order to align with current State law. The City’s enforcement activities related to pedestrian crossings would follow the California Vehicle Code.

 

Curbside Pickup Zone
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City Council amended the City’s proclamation of a local emergency, under Resolution No. 20-12, to approve the Rebound Program and certain business reopening strategies in May 2020. One of the program’s offerings was inclusion of a Curbside Pickup Zone and restrictions related to standing in a Curbside Pickup Zone, which allowed for expeditious pick-up of goods. In 2022, City Council adopted Urgency Ordinance 2223, which continues the authorization for a Curbside Pickup Zone, and related restrictions, until June 30, 2023, after which time Curbside Pickup Zones would no longer be codified.

Continuing Curbside Pickup Zones, and restrictions related to standing in pickup zones, would support existing parking policy and strategies in Rethinking Mobility, the City’s transportation strategic plan, by providing dedicated parking spaces for quick turnover. Staff recommends that the City Council continue Sections 3-5.121 and 3-5.1205 so they remain in effect beyond termination of Urgency Ordinance 2223. Staff also recommend the following amendments, with deletions in  strikethrough and additions in underline:

3-5.121 Curbside Pickup Zone.

Curbside Pickup Zone means the space adjacent to a curb reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles
during the expeditious loading or unloading of goods.

3-5.1205 Standing in Curbside Pickup Zone.
(a) No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose, period, or duration other than for
the expeditious pickup or loading of goods in any place marked as a curbside pickup zone for the
period of time between 10:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. of any day except holidays and then
only for a duration not to exceed fifteen (15) ten (10) minutes.
(b) When a sign has been installed which designates the period and duration during which the
pickup zone is in effect, the restrictions shall apply only during the period and for the duration
designated on the sign

 

Preferential Residential Permit Program (PRPP)
Section 3-5.2206 indicates a $25 fee for a lost guest permit. Staff recommends removing reference
to the $25 fee in Section 3-5.2206, and instead refer to the fee that is contained within the Master Fee Schedule, which already establishes a fee for replacement of a lost annual guest parking permit. This amendment would allow for all fees associated with the PRPP program to be assessed on a yearly basis.

Walnut Creek City Council Meeting

March 7, 2023
6:00 pm
1666 N Main St, Walnut Creek
Agenda Item: Click here
Full Agenda: click here

 

You may also like