Across our Commonwealth, residents and visitors are entitled to publicly accessible infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks, and accessible parking in our communities. 

At the same time, our residents and visitors are entitled to the joys of vehicle ownership and vehicle customization as extensions of their personal property. 

However, as vehicles have grown larger and demand for parking in our communities continues to grow, community members face obstructions to our publicly accessible infrastructure. 

These obstructions disproportionately impact individuals with disabilities and individuals who utilize a wheelchair or electric mobility device for transportation. As a result, our infrastructure, designed to serve all people in our Commonwealth, becomes harder to access for the members of our community who depend on it most. 

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation in Title 75 to amend the penalties for vehicles that stop, park, project, or obstruct a sidewalk path, and for vehicles that obstruct a space on public or private property reserved for a person with a disability. When enforced, the current provisions impose a fine upon conviction for a summary offense. 

This proposed penalty increase will set the same minimum fine for both forms of obstruction and add a modest increase for each repeated offense. 

Please join me in sponsoring this important piece of legislation to better protect our public infrastructure for all communities.