The Phoenix airport is cracking down on illegal parking. How to avoid getting a ticket

Sorry, drivers: The roads to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are not an extended cellphone lot.

Airport staff and local police are cracking down on motorists parking illegally on access ramps and roads leading to Sky Harbor’s terminals, just as the summer travel season begins.

Signs reading “No parking, stopping or standing” have been posted along these roads, which the Arizona Department of Transportation maintains. Police will patrol the areas and issue tickets to people who break the rules.

Sky Harbor, along with the Phoenix Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety and ADOT, conducted a six-month study of traffic coming into the airport. The study found that “a lot” of drivers were stopping on the side of the road to wait for passengers.

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How will Sky Harbor combat illegal parking?

Right now, enforcement will take place along the east side of Sky Harbor Boulevard, airport spokeswoman Tamra Ingersoll said.

Police will issue citations with fines starting at $100 to drivers who park illegally, said Brandon Stevens, an officer at the Phoenix Police Department's airport bureau.

Stopping on the access ramps and roadsides is not only illegal, but it also poses a public safety risk, he said.

"They are stopped on the side of the road, and (drivers) are coming in at 45-55 mph depending on their location," Stevens said. "And if they misjudge how fast that car is going as they're trying to get back onto the roadway, it could be a catastrophic event for them and then restrict access to the airport."

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How can I avoid getting a ticket at the Phoenix airport?

Don’t park where “No parking” signs are posted.

If you need to wait for an arriving passenger, use a cellphone lot. Sky Harbor has three:

• A 90-spot lot east of Terminal 4.

• A 90-spot lot near the West Economy Garage.

• A 25-spot lot at the 44th Street PHX Sky Train Station.

Airport staff and Phoenix police also strongly encourage people to use the PHX Sky Train stations at 44th Street and 24th Street as pickup and dropoff spots, especially on peak travel days when crowds of vehicles form at the curbs near terminal doors.

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix airport parking crackdown: How not to get a ticket