City Commission approves parking ordinance

The Ponca City Board of Commissioners approved a city ordinance Monday night regulating the parking of recreational and motor vehicles in the front yards of residences.

The ordinance requires RVs and motor vehicles parked in front yards to be parked on a paved, hard surface.

During a public hearing preceding the vote, Development Services Director Chris Henderson said a problem occurs when people start parking indiscriminately in the grass, causing rutting and other damage to lawns.

Ponca City already regulated the parking of RVs in front yards, requiring them to be on a hard surface.

Henderson said the regulations allow residents to park in their back yards on any surface they wish. The ordinance only affects vehicles in the front yard.

The ordinance also addresses the problem of large RVs that block sidewalks or prevent drivers from seeing oncoming traffic. Any vehicle must be parked no closer than 12 feet from the curb.

"This allows neighbors to see oncoming traffic," Henderson said. "Twelve feet is two-thirds the length of a typical vehicle. And vehicles must be parked perpendicular to the street, not across the lawn."

Henderson said the ordinance also protects the "sight triangle" at the intersection of two streets.

"Residents cannot block the view of oncoming traffic," he said.

Henderson said not all properties are conforming properties with paved driveways. The ordinance does not require construction of paved driveways in those cases.

"This ordinance acknowledges that fact," he said. "It gives us the flexibility to enforce that as it should be."

The ordinance does not prohibit RV owners from parking in their drives to load or unload their vehicles. It also does not prohibit short visits from guests traveling in RVs, as long as they comply with the parking requirements.