SPOKANE, Wash. — Parking in some Spokane neighborhoods can be tough. So, drivers might be tempted to grab the first spot they see regardless of which direction they’re heading.
But, there are rules when it comes to parking.
THE QUESTION
Our VERIFY question comes from KREM 2 viewer Russell who writes:
“I notice a lot of people parking backward on streets here in Spokane. Is this even legal?”
THE SOURCES
Washington State Code on the Rules of the Road
THE ANSWER
No, it is not legal to park against the flow of traffic in Spokane. Drivers caught parking the wrong way could face a $45 fine.
Washington State Code reads, “Every vehicle stopped or parked upon a two-way roadway shall be so stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels parallel to… the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.”
This means cars must be parked with the flow of traffic.
Our VERIFY team checked with the City of Spokane to verify there were no local exceptions and they pointed us to Spokane Municipal Code, which is even more clear.
“No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle upon a public right-of-way other than with the direction of authorized traffic movement,” the code says.
So, we can VERIFY, No, it is not legal to park on the wrong side of the street, against the flow of traffic, in Spokane.
WHAT WE FOUND
While parking against the flow of traffic is illegal in Spokane, when it comes to enforcement, Spokane Police Sgt. Teresa Fuller tells VERIFY that officers are not actively looking for or ticketing vehicles for parking on the wrong side of the street. She said City Parking Enforcement would be more likely to ticket for this.
Drivers caught parking the wrong way could face a $45 dollar fine.
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.