PRINTER'S NO. 2584
No. 1980 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, TIGUE, NAILOR, SCHULER, STABACK,
R. MILLER, BROWNE, GEORGE, TRICH, HERSHEY, HENNESSEY,
DeWEESE, BELFANTI, KAISER, LAUGHLIN, HALUSKA, SHANER,
CAPPELLI, STERN, SATHER, GORDNER, M. WRIGHT, MANDERINO,
S. MILLER, HARHAI, DALLY, PALLONE, ROSS, DeLUCA, WANSACZ,
COSTA, CURRY, SAYLOR, YOUNGBLOOD, J. WILLIAMS, SAINATO,
FRANKEL, THOMAS, WATERS AND CIVERA, OCTOBER 2, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION, OCTOBER 2, 2001
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 75 (Vehicles) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, further providing for additional parking
3 regulations.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Section 3354(d) of Title 75 of the Pennsylvania
7 Consolidated Statutes is amended and the section is amended by
8 adding a subsection to read:
9 § 3354. Additional parking regulations.
10 * * *
11 (d) Handicapped persons and disabled veterans.--
12 (1) When a motor vehicle bearing a handicapped or
13 severely disabled veteran plate or displaying a handicapped
14 or severely disabled veteran parking placard as prescribed in
15 this title is being operated by or for the transportation of
16 the handicapped person or severely disabled veteran, the
1 driver shall be relieved of any liability for parking for a
2 period of 60 minutes in excess of the legal parking period
3 permitted by local authorities except where local ordinances
4 or police regulations provide for the accommodation of heavy
5 traffic during morning, afternoon or evening hours.
6 (2) At the request of any handicapped person or severely
7 disabled veteran, local authorities may erect on the highway
8 as close as possible to their place of residence a sign or
9 signs indicating that that place is reserved for the
10 handicapped person or severely disabled veteran, that no
11 parking is allowed there by others, and that any unauthorized
12 person parking there shall be subject to a fine.
13 (3) (i) Except for persons parking vehicles lawfully
14 bearing a handicapped or severely disabled veteran
15 registration plate or displaying a handicapped or
16 severely disabled veteran parking placard when such
17 vehicles are being operated by or for the transportation
18 of a handicapped person or a severely disabled veteran,
19 no person shall park a vehicle on public or private
20 property reserved for a handicapped person or severely
21 disabled veteran which property has been so posted in
22 accordance with departmental regulations which shall
23 require a sign stating the penalty amount indicated in
24 subsection (f), a sign indicating that vehicles in
25 violation of the subsection may be towed and require that
26 signs be replaced when they become either obsolete or
27 missing with all costs to replace the necessary signs to
28 be borne by the persons responsible for signing the
29 particular location. Any vehicle which is unlawfully
30 parked in a designated handicapped parking area may be
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1 removed from that area by towing and may be reclaimed by
2 the vehicle owner upon payment of the towing costs. The
3 failure of a person responsible for signing a particular
4 location to post property reserved for handicapped person
5 or severely disabled veteran parking with a penalties
6 sign, a sign indicating that the vehicle in violation may
7 be towed or any other sign which may be required by
8 departmental regulation is no defense to prosecution for
9 a violation of this subsection.
10 (ii) Local authorities shall have the power and may,
11 by ordinance or resolution, authorize handicapped persons
12 and severely disabled veterans to issue statements to
13 violators or violating vehicles for violation of
14 subparagraph (i). The form of the statement shall be as
15 prescribed by the local authorities.
16 (iii) Within 90 days of the effective date of this
17 subparagraph, the department shall adopt and promulgate
18 regulations to govern the description, placement, size
19 and installation of the penalties sign under this
20 subsection. The penalties sign shall indicate the minimum
21 and maximum fine for violations and that the violating
22 vehicle may be towed.
23 * * *
24 (e.1) Legislative intent; handicapped parking designation.--
25 It is the intent of the General Assembly that parking spaces
26 reserved for use by handicapped persons or severely disabled
27 veterans on public or private property be posted and marked in
28 accordance with departmental regulations. The reserved parking
29 sign authorized for use by the department to mark the location
30 of parking spaces reserved for handicapped persons or severely
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1 disabled veterans shall be the universal designator for such
2 reserved parking in this Commonwealth.
3 * * *
4 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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