Richmond may change stop-sign parking rule after ticket surge
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A 280% jump in Richmond stop-sign parking tickets — most of them issued in one part of the city — is prompting a City Council push to rewrite the rule behind them.
Why it matters: Backers of the proposal say the current standard is confusing and unusually restrictive. Transportation officials say changing it could make intersections less safe.
By the numbers: Stop-sign parking citations jumped from 358 in 2025 to 1,359 so far this year as the city ramped up enforcement, per a Safe and Healthy Streets Commission presentation this month.
- Nearly 9 in 10 of those analyzed citations were issued in the 2nd district, which includes The Fan, Jackson Ward, Carver and Scott's Addition, where permit parking enforcement is concentrated.
The latest: On Monday, 2nd District Councilmember Katherine Jordan proposed cutting Richmond's ban on parking within 30 feet of a stop sign and focusing on parking 20 feet from the corner of an intersection.
- The 20-foot standard is used by neighboring counties and across Virginia.
- The ordinance, obtained by Axios, would also allow larger no-parking zones as needed, as long as they're visibly marked.
- And it has the support of 5th District Councilmember Stephanie Lynch, who represents Carytown, Oregon Hill and other parts of The Fan.
What they're saying: "If you layered a map of where the enforcement was happening with our high-injury network, and those things lined up, I wouldn't be pursuing this," Jordan tells Axios.
- "But that's not the case," she says, adding the current rule isn't consistently marked and many drivers don't know it exists.
- Lynch tells Axios her office has also fielded questions from residents confused about why they were ticketed.
Friction point: City transportation officials opposed the proposal in a recent Safe and Healthy Streets Commission meeting, saying the existing 30-foot setback provides better visibility around larger vehicles, especially in densely populated neighborhoods.
- They instead want to make it easier to follow with clearer signage, pavement markings and education.
What's next: City Council recesses in August, which means the ordinance won't be heard again until September.