Dayton bans over-the-curb parking

Dayton police cruiser. File photo

Dayton police cruiser. File photo

The city of Dayton has outlawed parking over curbs or on tree lawns, claiming the activity damages concrete sidewalks and curbs and adds to neighborhood blight.

"That will be a tool for our officers to be able to keep … neighborhoods more attractive and cut down on damage into those tree lawns," Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said.

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The Dayton City Commission approved an ordinance this week that prohibits parking over a curb, between the outside edge of a shoulder or a roadway without one and the sidewalk or right-of-way, or on the tree lawn.

Earlier this year, the Dayton Police Department received complaints about illegal parking along East Hillcrest Avenue, and officers issued citations to illegally parked vehicles, officials said.

But the department discovered there was no law against parking a vehicle with the wheels over the curb on the tree lawn or between the curb and street right-of-way, as long as the right wheels were parallel to the road and within one foot of the curb, according to a memo from Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl.

Police officials worked with the city prosecutor’s office to craft an ordinance amending city code to address this activity, which they say damages property, kills grass and hurts neighborhood conditions.

Automobiles already were prohibited from parking on paved or unpaved sidewalks of curbed roads.

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