Wake Forest officials are urging commercial motor vehicle operators to stop parking along Town roads or risk being ticketed and fined.
During its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19, the Board of Commissioners adopted an ordinance that restricts commercial motor vehicle parking on Town roads. The law pertains to commercial motor vehicles weighing more than 26,001 lbs.
“Prohibition of Parking of Commercial Motor Vehicles” will be placed in Chapter 30 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances. A portion of the ordinance reads:
“All operators of commercial motor vehicles of any kind shall use private property for parking and storing such vehicles and are hereby prohibited from using the Public-Right-of-Way of any street within town limits, except for the purpose of travelling and transporting, loading and unloading passengers and freight, and except for temporary parking in cases of emergency (i.e. mechanical breakdown, motor vehicle collision).
Commercial Vehicles left parked or standing because of an emergency shall not be in violation of this section for a period of two hours, provided the Commercial Vehicle does not create a traffic hazard as defined in Chapter 30, Section 144 of the municipal code, in which case, the Commercial Vehicle shall be moved immediately.”
As stated in the ordinance, commercial motor vehicle operators who typically park along town streets near their personal residences will be required to find new areas to park by contracting with owners of private parking lots or storage unit locations.
Officials say streets are designed to accommodate driving weight, not constant weight. The new ordinance is intended to reduce damage to roadways and curbs caused by the constant weight of parked commercial motor vehicles.
Police say they will spend the next several weeks issuing warnings to commercial motor vehicle operators that park along town streets. But starting April 1, officers will begin enforcing the new ordinance. That means any commercial motor vehicle observed by law enforcement to be parked in violation of this ordinance will be ticketed and subject to a $25 fine.
Wake Forest residents are also reminded that Sec. 3-158 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances prohibits boats and trailers not connected to vehicles from being parked along town roads.
For more information, contact Public Works Assistant Director Allison Snyder at 919-435-9585 or asnyder@wakeforestnc.gov<mailto:asnyder@wakeforestnc.gov>.
