Driving in West Hollywood:
Lights...Camera...Ticket?
Seeing the city by car can be quite enjoyable, however, from ticketing cameras that may leave you with a pricey souvenir of your visit to hard-to-find parking spaces, driving in West Hollywood does present certain challenges that will require a degree of attention and patience.

 

For ten years, West Hollywood has utilized ticketing cameras to catch red light runners at a number of busy intersections. The one pictured (the camera is atop that not-so-attractive blue tower next to the mailbox) is at the corner of La Brea and Fountain in front of High Voltage Tattoo, the tattoo shop featured on the popular TLC series LA Ink. The camera starts taking pictures as the light turns red and if you cross the limit line a little too late, you will see a flash of light and then, a few weeks later, you will receive a ticket in the mail. The price for saving a few seconds by trying to make the light is approximately $400. Thinking about getting one of those license plate covers designed to prevent the camera from photographing your plate? California law makes it illegal to use such an accessory. 

 
Another consideration when driving in West Hollywood is parking. During weekday hours, or if you plan to visit WeHo for a relaxing brunch on a Sunday morning, finding a good parking space is not usually a problem. Later in the evening, traffic increases and parking spaces become harder to find, especially on and around Santa Monica Boulevard. If you have the patience, you may be able to find a parking space on the street. If you want to avoid searching for a space and get to the clubs even sooner, you will be able to find pay parking lots ranging from $5 to $15. It appears as though West Hollywood is on the cutting edge of parking technology. The old meters along Sunset Boulevard at Sunset Plaza have been replaced with parking "pay stations" that serve multiple parking spaces. You can buy time on the pay stations with cash or credit card and, believe it or not, you can even sign up for an account to buy or add time to the meter using your cell phone.

 
Allow extra time to read the signs before parking anywhere in West Hollywood. Many streets have numerous signs posted, some of which prevent you from parking during certain hours, while others prohibit parking at night in favor of residents with parking permits. And let's not forget parking restrictions on street sweeping day. Another sign reminds you to curb your wheels, and failure to do so will result in a ticket. Hey, curbing your wheels is not that hard - the sign even shows you how to do it!

 
For more information on parking regulations and meter operations in West Hollywood, call the Department of Transportation & Public Works at (323) 848-6375 or click here to visit their web page.

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