Paso Robles Municipal Code Ch. 12.36 Loading and Unloading

A. Location. The city engineer is hereby authorized to determine and to mark loading zones and passenger loading zones as follows:

1. At any place in any business district.

2. Elsewhere in front of the entrance to any place of business or in front of any hall or place used for the purpose of public assembly.

B. Proportion of Curb. In no event shall more than one-half of the total curb length in any block be reserved for loading zone purposes.

(Ord. 197 N.S. § 140, 1956)

(Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, 11-6-2018)

A. Authority. The city traffic engineer is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions and limitations of this title to place, and when required herein shall place, the following signage and/or curb markings to indicate parking or standing regulations.

1. When signs or red curb markings are in place, the specified area shall prohibit stopping, standing or parking at any time except as permitted by the vehicle code, and except that a bus may stop in a red zone marked or signed as a bus zone.

2. When signs or yellow curb markings are in place, the specified area shall prohibit stopping, standing, or parking, except for the purpose of active loading or unloading freight from commercial vehicles, during any time in which parking is restricted or prohibited at that yellow zone. Non-commercial vehicles shall not be parked in a yellow zone in excess of a period of three minutes, during which the operator must be in attendance, under any circumstances during times when parking is restricted at a yellow zone.

3. When signs or white curb markings are in place, the specified area shall prohibit stopping, standing, or parking, for any purpose other than loading or unloading passengers, and in no case for more than three minutes. This restriction shall be in effect during all times unless limited to specified hours and/or days by posted signs.

4. When signs or green curb markings are in place, the specified area shall prohibit stopping, standing, or parking, for a period of time greater than the specified time limit and/or days by posted signs.

5. When signs or blue curb markings are in place, the specified area shall limit parking exclusively to the vehicles of physically handicapped persons, which vehicles display either a distinguishing license plate or a placard issued pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 22511.5. These parking spaces shall be operative twenty-four hours a day, Sundays and holidays included.

(Ord. 450 N.S. § 1, 1980; Ord. 197 N.S. § 141, 1956)

(Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, 11-6-2018)

A. Commercial. Permission herein granted to stop or stand a vehicle for purposes of active loading or unloading of materials shall apply only to commercial vehicles and shall not extend beyond the time necessary therefor, and in no event for more than twenty minutes. Commercial loading is permitted between six o'clock a.m. and eleven o'clock a.m. only, seven days per week.

B. Mail. The loading or unloading of materials shall apply only to commercial deliveries, also the delivery or pickup of express and parcel post packages and United States mail. United States mail carriers may stop in red zones, when such zones are marked in front of mailboxes.

C. Prevention of Abuse. Within the total time limits above specified, the provisions of this section shall be enforced so as to accommodate necessary and reasonable loading or unloading but without permitting abuse of the privileges hereby granted.

(Ord. 197 N.S. § 142, 1956)

(Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, 11-6-2018)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 1065, § 3, adopted Nov. 6, 2018, repealed § 12.36.040, which pertained to standing for other purposes and derived from Ord. 197 N.S., § 143, adopted in 1956.

No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any passenger loading zone for any purpose other than the loading or unloading of passengers for such time as is specified in Section 12.36.030.

(Ord. 197 N.S. § 144, 1956)

No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle for any purpose other than the loading or unloading of persons or materials in any alley.

(Ord. 197 N.S. § 145, 1956)

A. Authority. The City traffic engineer is hereby authorized to establish bus zones opposite curb space for the loading and unloading of buses of common carriers of passengers and to determine the location thereof subject to the direction and limitations set forth herein.

B. Definition. The word BUS as used in this section shall mean any motor bus, motor coach, or passenger stage used as a common carrier of passengers.

C. Length. No bus zone shall exceed eighty feet in length, except that when satisfactory evidence has been presented to the City traffic engineer showing the necessity therefor, the City traffic engineer may extend bus zones not to exceed a total length of one hundred and twenty-five feet.

D. Location. Bus zones shall normally be established on the far side of an intersection.

E. Signage or Curb Markings. The city traffic engineer shall post signage indicating a bus zone or paint a red curb with black letters with the words BUS ZONE upon the top or side of all curbs and places specified as a bus zone.

F. Other Use. No person shall stop, stand or park any vehicle except a bus in a bus zone.

(Ord. 197 N.S. § 146, 1956)

(Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, 11-6-2018)

A. Transportation network companies (TNC) provide application dispatch services (technology that allows consumers to directly request dispatch of for-hire drivers for trips via the internet using mobile interfaces such as smartphone applications), to connect drivers with passengers for transportation services.

B. No owner or driver of any taxicab or TNC vehicle shall park or stand the same upon any public highway or the street for any period of time longer than is necessary to discharge or receive passengers then occupying or then waiting for such taxicab or TNC vehicle. The city traffic engineer is authorized to install signage within commercial loading zone spaces permitting the active loading or unloading of passengers from taxicab and TNC vehicles during non-commercial loading zone hours. When appropriate signs are in place indicating such, the space may not be utilized for the stopping or standing of other vehicles.

(Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, 11-6-2018)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 1065 N.S., § 3, adopted Nov. 6, 2018, repealed the former § 12.36.080, and enacted a new § 12.36.080 as set out herein. The former § 12.36.080 pertained to taxicabs and derived from Ord. 197 N.S., § 171, adopted in 1956.