Bakersfield Municipal Code Ch. 10.72 Parking Malls

All provisions of the California Vehicle Code shall apply to traffic within the parking mall, except whereby the general nature of the mall, the laws cannot apply. (Prior code § 11.17.080)

“Parking mall” means certain streets within a designated area closed to through traffic by signs and barricades and dedicated to parking. Parking malls cannot be established except in an area of high retail store saturation, which area has little or no off-street parking and little chance for obtaining off-street parking. (Prior code § 11.17.010)

The Central Parking Mall shall be comprised of:

A. 19th and 20th Streets from H to Chester Avenue;

B. 19th and 20th Streets from Chester Avenue to L;

C. 19th and 20th Streets from G to H;

D. 19th and 20th Streets from L to M;

E. Eye and K Streets from 18th Street to 21st Street;

F. G Street from 18th to 20th Streets. (Ord. 4973 § 1, 2019; Ord. 4095 § 1, 2002; Ord. 3715 § 1, 1996; prior code § 11.17.020)

Whenever a street has been designated as a parking mall street and has been properly posted by barricades and signs, the speed limit on such street shall be a maximum of ten miles per hour. (Prior code § 11.17.030)

Streets designated as parking mall streets shall carry traffic in a one-way pattern. The direction of traffic shall be established by the traffic authority. (Prior code § 11.17.040)

A. All parking spaces on streets designated as a parking mall shall be marked by the traffic authority for angle parking, and the angle parking shall be allowed on both sides of the street at the discretion of the traffic authority.

B. No person shall park a vehicle other than within a designated parking space at any location within the parking mall.

C. Where loading zones are not available in the alleys, commercial vehicles delivering to businesses within the parking mall may park in the driving lane leaving room for vehicles to pass for only enough time to load or unload materials and in no event longer than twenty minutes. (Prior code § 11.17.050)

A. When a parking mall has been established, a time limit within the parking mall for each vehicle to be parked shall not exceed two hours with the exception of certain designated spaces within each block which will be posted for thirty-six-minute parking. The thirty-six-minute spaces will be evenly distributed within the block so that no retail business within the block is further than one-half block from a thirty-six-minute space.

B. Any person who violates any of the time limits set forth in subsection A of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

C. There shall be no parking permitted on any street within the parking mall from one a.m. to four a.m.

D. The posting of the time limit within the parking mall shall appear at every entrance to the parking mall and be at least two signs per block except that each thirty-six-minute space shall be posted individually.

E. Applications for special parking zones shall not be considered for individual persons or businesses within the parking mall, that it shall only be considered on the basis of benefits to the total parking area.

F. Enforcement of time limit shall be handled by the traffic authority in the same manner as any other parking zone within the city. (Prior code § 11.17.060)

A. Pedestrians may cross the street at any midblock location within the parking mall after having yielded to traffic traveling down the driving lane.

B. Pedestrians crossing the intersections within the parking mall shall have all the rights of a pedestrian crossing at any other crosswalk and shall be required to obey all controls of traffic at that intersection.

C. No person shall cross at an angle within any intersection within the parking mall. (Prior code § 11.17.070)

Whenever the traffic authority designates limited area upon any sidewalk within a parking mall or in any business district within the city, as a bicycle rack location, it is lawful to place and maintain a bicycle rack at such location for the purpose of parking and securing of bicycles by the public; provided, that such placement and maintenance meets all of the following requirements:

A. Such bicycle racks, which shall not exceed forty inches in width, shall be provided without cost or expense to the city.

B. Such bicycle racks shall be placed in a secure manner by the city in places deemed by the traffic authority to be the safest and most convenient locations for bicycle parking, for pedestrians on the sidewalk, and for automobile parking.

C. The design and color of the racks shall be subject to the approval of the traffic authority.

D. There shall not be placed more than two bicycle racks per block on each side of the street.

E. The person, firm, business or corporation originally providing the racks shall remain the owner thereof and responsible for maintaining them in good condition and repair.

F. The traffic authority shall have the right to remove such racks and deliver them to the owner whenever they are not being maintained in proper condition and repair.

G. The traffic authority shall have the right to remove such racks whenever it is determined that the use of such racks is not sufficient to warrant the retention of such racks. (Prior code § 11.17.075)