Proposals Offered by Councilwoman to Improve Parking

Councilwoman Suzie Price has brought forth three proposals related to improved parking. One includes a request to evaluate red curbs in parking impacted neighborhoods to find any possible removals or reductions in order to increase available on-street parking spaces while maintaining safety.

“Parking in Long Beach is something that is frustrating in every neighborhood of the city. So, we need to try to manage our limited street parking as efficiently as possible while still ensuring we have appropriate safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. One way we can create additional parking is by looking at our existing red curbs to find areas where it can safely be shortened and create additional parking spaces,” she said..

“I see it as a fundamental responsibility as a Councilmember to make sure our city is continually looking for ways of solving problems, and proactively evaluating our existing red curbs is an easy way we can make sure we are maximizing our available parking in neighborhoods that need it the most,” explained Councilwoman Price.

Many neighborhoods in Long Beach are limited in their available options to address parking problems due to availability of building additional parking spaces, constraints due to zoning or coastal zone restrictions, and the number of parking spaces required to be created for various new development projects.

In the past, the city has conducted parking studies for various neighborhoods to generate suggested approaches, and assessments of the number of available parking spaces for various parking-impacted neighborhoods. The city has also initiated programs to help take cars off the street and have them park in garages instead through garage clean up days, and streamlined policies to renovate old garages that can no longer accommodate modern sized vehicles.

Parking has been a frequent focus for Councilwoman Price as she works to improve residential quality of life. Past items have included fully investigating opportunities for preferential parking districts in coastal zones as well as improved garage usage to create additional on-street parking. These items come in addition to supporting parking studies in many neighborhoods of the Third District, and the addition of over 150 parking spaces in Belmont Shore to further address severely parking impacted neighborhoods.

Price continued this effort throughout the month of October with parking items designed to make better more efficient use of our limited on-street parking throughout the city. Price also brought a proposal on Oct. 15 to allow residents a permit to park on the street blocking their own driveway as a way of creating additional parking spaces in every neighborhood of the City. This item was cosponsored by Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce and Councilwoman Stacy Mungo.

“Currently we allow a driveway parking permits only in parking impacted neighborhoods. This is where a resident can get a permit allowing them to legally parallel park in the street blocking their own driveway. However, parking in front of a driveway is not allowed without a permit, or in areas that are not deemed parking impacted, regularly resulting in tickets. I know that parking is difficult in every neighborhood, so allowing a permit to park in front of your own driveway is a way we can create thousands of new parking spaces throughout the City without building parking lots, without restriping streets, and without major city costs,” stated Price

Councilwoman Price will also be bringing a proposal to the City Council on Nov. 12, to develop an app-based program to better manage parking availability during street sweeping. This item is cosponsored by Councilwoman Jeannine Pearce, Vice Mayor Dee Andrews, and Councilmember Al Austin.

“Our street sweepers in Long Beach are equipped with GPS tracking which means we have a fantastic opportunity to leverage that technology to benefit residents and create an app that alerts when someone can repark their car after their street has been swept. With the use of smarter technology we can put information in the hands of residents and make real progress on addressing one of the most frustrating problems we have faced for decades here in Long Beach, parking!

“Especially on street sweeping days this can be a serious difficulty. Parking is hard enough when both sides of the street are available, but when one side is closed we see a real parking crunch and unfortunately people end up with tickets as a result. So, I am excited to be introducing this idea here in Long Beach to create a street sweeping app that helps us be much smarter with our technology and our available parking,” said Price.

Submitted by 3rd District