West Valley makes it illegal to park within 5 feet of a driveway

In a unanimous vote, West Valley’s city council made it illegal to park within five feet of a driveway in their city.

The mayor said vehicles parked too near a driveway make it unsafe for those backing out. The meeting’s sole public commenter spoke in favor of the measure, saying it was difficult for people with recreational vehicles to get in and out of their driveways because of how close some people park.

Police notified the public of the new rule in a Facebook post on Thursday.

You can stop long enough to let someone get in or out of your car, but you need to stay in your car while that’s happening, and, as soon as you’ve loaded or unloaded your passenger, you need to move the vehicle,” police said.

A slew of comments poured in on the Facebook post, many people appearing unhappy with the change.

Another commenter asked for clarification about why the ordinance was deemed necessary.

“I am only asking because I live in a circle. My driveway is literally next to my neighbor’s, and on the other side is a fire hydrant,” they wrote. “We have a small opportunity for people to park when they come to our house (Grandma and Grandpa for example) without encroaching on the fire hydrant. With this ordinance they will have to literally park around the corner and down the street from our circle and walk to our house to avoid any other driveways. Just seems like more of an inconvenience than a help.”

At least one person was in favor of the change.

“Good. I’m tired of people blocking my driveway. I can’t get access in or out of my own home because of it all the time,” they wrote. “Tired of carrying liability for people parking into my driveway. Forget having a place to put out cans before pick up. If people just had common courtesy, the city wouldn’t need to get involved.”

Several commenters suggested those frustrated with the ordinance take their complaints to the city council.