SNOHOMISH — Parking tickets began being issued more frequently last week to violators who are parked too close to intersections, too close to fire hydrants and too close to stop signs.
The rules are that people cannot park within 30 feet of a stop sign, within 20 feet of a crosswalk whether marked or not, or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant.
“The residents of downtown have made multiple complaints about how bad it gets so we’ve made a point of taking more enforcement,” Police Chief Nathan Alanis said by email.
Enforcement on Thursdays has been happening since early May.
The Thursday farmer’s market and big events in town particularly place pressure on parking.
On the last Thursday in June, Alanis issued 12 tickets, he said. On Monday, June 30, a few more tickets were issued.
A parking ticket is $50. It can be cut in half if paid by the next business day.
The Snohomish Farmers Market downtown is considered the most popular market in the county. Market manager Sarah Dylan Jensen said it’s growing and is attended by upwards of 3,500 to 4,000 people weekly.
Dylan Jensen doesn’t believe parking enforcement dissuades visitors from coming to the market.
“I think it’s enforcing the behavior we should be having,” she said.
Ken Coman, a business owner who is president of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, has the same thoughts.
“I don’t think it negatively impacts commerce because there are many parking spots,” he said. “We just need to be not parking near fire hydrants and crosswalks.”
City Hall began an online campaign on the city’s
Facebook page trying to show people that they can find parking spaces in more places than people assume. It gives suggestions of parking spots in lesser-used side streets, and tells how far a walk that spot is from the Carnegie at First Street and Cedar Avenue.
When cars are parked too close to corners, it jeopardizes the ability to see pedestrians, Coman said.
HDSA met with the city after an engineering firm in downtown saw many employee cars ticketed.
Coman said at that meeting the city declined a suggestion to add paint to the curbs where people should not park because it would be “impossible to stay on top of it” maintenance-wise.
The city began its “There’s More Parking Than You Think!” public campaign ahead of Snohomish Pride weekend of June 6-8, and has produced a printed map and a QR code for businesses, the farmers market and event organizers to share, city department director Shari Ireton, who manages community engagement, said.
“We have been pleasantly surprised by the positive support we’ve received from merchants and residents in the district,” Ireton said.
It is asking people where they parked and will analyze the results after Kla Ha Ya Days, Ireton said.
The Snohomish Police Department posted examples of violations on Facebook ranging from egregious to tame. A few photos showed cars too close to the edge of the intersection in areas that look like a parking spot. One photo showed a SUV parked in front of a hydrant.
Coman paced out the steps from First Street to Central Elementary north of Second Street, and it’s only about 400 steps. This is the same as walking from the entrance of a Costco superstore to the milk and butter department, he said.
“Downtown is worth walking for,” Coman said.
Meanwhile, HDSA is challenging its member business owners to pledge to have employees park off
of First Street to keep customer parking open. Thirteen businesses are in, Coman said, which is more than 10% of HDSA’s member base.
