The stopping or parking of units of transport with partial or full entry onto sidewalks is allowed only in specially set up places marked by the road sign “Parking” or “Reserved Parking” or by the road marking “Continuous narrow line”. Also, the drivers are obliged to keep a distance of minimum 1.5 meters on sidewalk for enabling pedestrians to move. The given provisions took effect on April 22, IPN reports.
According to the National Patrol Inspectorate, the stopping or parking of motor vehicles on other road sections that are not marked appropriately, even by respecting the distance of 1.5 meters, is banned. The drivers who stop or park illegally face a fine of up to 1,500 lei and four penalty points.
The parked vehicles should not block access to stairs, ramps or inclined cubs intended for persons with special needs.
An analysis by the National Patrol Inspectorate shows most of the drivers use to stop or park in places where it is suitable for them - in front of stores, in intersections, on crosswalks and close to the stairs of the building where they love or work. This bars the access of firefighters, ambulances and the police when each minute counts for saving a life, for persons with locomotor disabilities and parents with children in baby carriages, who have to travel on the roadway, endangering thus their lives.
The Inspectorate’s statistics show more than 8,400 drivers were penalized in 2018 for stopping or parking illegally. The figure for the first three months of this year stands at over 540, a decrease of about 75% compared with the corresponding period last year.