A Castro Valley CHP rep said, “It’s possible.”
If you live in or drive through Castro Valley, because recent rains have brought road damaging land slides to this East Bay City, certain roads are closed off.
According to the Alameda County Public Works Agency,
“Crow Canyon Rd, from E Castro Valley Rd to County Line, is closured due to storm & will be reopened ASAP….”
Typically, as is the case here, the road is still open to residents and emergency vehicles.
Re this road closure, earlier yesterday (Jan 24, 2023) a rumor popped up on the Castro Valley Freecycle Facebook group alleging that police were handing out $1,000 tickets if you drive on Crow Canyon Rd, past the road closed signs, and can’t prove you live there (via your driver’s license.)
To confirm if this rumor is true, I asked CHP Castro Valley on Facebook and, when I didn’t get a timely response, called their listed phone number.
According to whoever answered, re any truth behind this rumor he responded,
“If there are road closed signs, it’s possible.”
Upon further research, driving around a road closure sign in California is a violation of either CVC 38300 (Disobeying a Sign, Signal, or Traffic Control Device) or generally CVC 21461 (unlawful for a driver or vehicle to fail to obey a sign or signal.)
According to California’s Penalty amount schedule, violating CVC 38300 or 21461 carries a total fine of $238 and $367 and 1 point respectively.
Where the $1,000 came from, I’m not totally sure.
Failure to appear for either violation is a violation of CVC 40508 (failure to appear in court on a traffic citation) and that carries a maximum 6-month jail sentence and/or a $1,000 fine.
So, in that sense, driving through Crow Canyon Rd. with clearly visible road closed signs up, and you’re not a resident is subject to a ticket that, if ignored, can lead up to a $1,000 fine.
I also saw comments along the lines of “But, what about friends or non-residents who need access to houses on Crow Canyon Road?”
One responder offered up anecdotal evidence they friends were able to visit them as their friends told police the address they were going to when stopped.
So, until Crow Canyon Road opens, which, according to Public Works, should be by the end of the month, if you’re just driving through for no good reason, and you willfully pass a road closed sign, you may be subject to a ticket.
If you’re visiting someone on Crow Canyon Road, at the very least, know their address.
And, if you’re a resident, you should be fine.
