By Walnut Creek Police Department

Monday, March 24 (2:00 p.m.): Did you know that every intersection is actually a crosswalk? Whenever two streets intersect, there is either a marked crosswalk or an unmarked one.

A new law now makes it illegal to park a vehicle within 20 feet of a crosswalk, marked or not. The affected area does not need to be painted red – although they all will be in Rossmoor – and “no parking” signs are not legally required to be installed at these locations.

This new law is about “daylighting,” keeping as many visual obstructions away from crosswalks as possible. In this case, the “obstructions” are vehicles parked near the crosswalks, which can make pedestrians less visible to drivers coming up on these crosswalks .

Improving pedestrian visibility near crosswalks is one way to help the city achieve its “Vision Zero” goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries.

The Walnut Creek Police Department will ticket vehicles parked in violation.