PARKING IN A FIRE LANE COULD COST YOU EVEN MORE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 13, 1993                   TAG: 9304130314
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
PARKING IN A FIRE LANE COULD COST YOU EVEN MORE
Think twice the next time you are inclined to park in fire lanes in shopping centers, parking lots or other locations in Roanoke.
The fine for parking in a fire lane will soon be $50, up from the current penalty of $10.
City Council voted Monday night to increase the fine after being told that parking in a fire lane is a serious public-safety violation that seems to be rising.
The higher fine will become effective after the city attorney prepares the ordinance and council sets a date.
City Manager Bob Herbert said the city will undertake an educational campaign to inform motorists of the larger fine.
George Snead, director of public safety, said city fire marshals and police issued 1,700 citations for parking in fire lanes in the past year.
Many motorists apparently don't understand the importance of fire lanes and the need to keep them clear at all times, Snead said.
City officials believe that a larger fine will be a deterrent that will lead to fewer violations. "We are not looking for the fine to be a revenue producer. We want to have fewer violations," Snead said.
City officials said the $50 fine for illegal parking in a handicapped space, approved two years ago, has been a deterrent and reduced violations by 30 percent.
Snead said a survey has shown that the fine for parking in fire lanes ranges from $15 to $50 in other cities in Virginia.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB