Fake No-Parking Signs Along Calif. Beach Streets Can Result in Real Tickets

It's often hard to tell whether a multitude of unauthorized no-parking signs posted on roads near California's best public beaches are legitimate or not.

But the result can be double-whammy for those who seek a hard-to-find parking space in order to surf or simply take a stroll on the sand, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A number of would-be parkers are deterred by the signs, legal or not, which the California Coastal Commission lacks the manpower and enforcement tools to police effectively, the newspaper says.

And for those who go ahead and park, doing so next to a fake no-parking sign is no guarantee they won't get a real ticket, the Times notes.

A reporter took a ride recently with Pat Veesart, an enforcement supervisor for the commission. He pointed out a number of no-parking signs that almost surely were the work of neighbors trying to buffer their property from beachgoers. Some prohibitions, however, such as a two-hour limit on parking on Cliffside Drive near Point Dume, appear official.

"A day at the beach?" Veesart asked rhetorically. "Forget it."