Public Comment

Dear City of Berkeley:

On December 23 I was cited under code 14.40.060B(1) for having the front wheel of my 2010 Toyota Prius more than six inches from the curb. I did not see the ticket until I drove away from 2462 Shattuck, I have no doubt that the car was further than six inches from the curb. I have been a resident of Berkeley since 1969 and have never been aware of this ordinance.

Yesterday I went back to this area of Berkeley, downtown Berkeley, to view cars parked diagonally. I would ask that you do the same so as not to take my word (or pictures) for it. One out of three cars is parked more than six inches from the curb. As to my own situation the front bumper clearance of a 2010 Toyota Prius is 7 inches. Your curbs, depending on the condition of the street, are 6.5 inches high. To approach your curb is to scrape the underside of the bumper. Therefore, to avoid more damage to my car, I stay a distance away.

You can be assured that I won’t be parking on Berkeley City streets in the future. That is a shame because I have always made it a point to purchase goods from small Berkeley retailers and to frequent Berkeley restaurants. They now will lose my business to merchants with private parking, to UC Berkeley, to shopping malls, and to the internet. The City of Berkeley has been frequently criticized for its aggressive enforcement of parking violations. One of the reasons that there are so many empty store fronts in downtown Berkeley is because of the difficulty in parking and over- zealous enforcement of parking regulations. I suggest to the Mayor and City Council through this letter that these regulations be revised if Berkeley is to attract customers to any part of the city.  

I enclose a check in the amount of $51 for this ticket with a request for reimbursement after this matter is reviewed and studied. I will be out of the area from January 16 until February 22, and hope to find a response upon my return. 

Sincerely, 

Jamy O. Faulhaber 

cc The Honorable Mayor Tom Bates 

City Council Member Susan Wengraf 

The Berkeley Daily Planet 

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce 

The San Francisco Chronicle 

Aaron Brothers Art and Framing 

Airport Appliances 

Giovanni’s Restaurant 

Toyota of Berkeley 

Tuesday Morning 

Radio Shack