Fullerton : Parking Problems Aired in Two Public Meetings

About 45 residents attended two informal meetings this week to discuss public parking downtown, an issue that has drawn numerous complaints over the years, but that is “perceptual rather than jfactual,” according to Terry Galvin, Redevelopment Agency manager.

A six-month survey of the parking problems in 12 square blocks of Fullerton was reported, and residents filled out questionnaires. They rated six common complaints, including employees parking in customer spaces, difficulty differentiating between public and private lots, and overflow parking from nearby campuses. An analysis of the questionnaires will be presented at the Fullerton Downtown Parking Committee Meeting on April 8, when recommendations will be made to the City Council, Galvin said.

“There really are enough parking spaces,” Galvin said. “We just need to make sure that the parking we have is well managed.”

The survey, compiled at a cost of $17,500, found that certain lots and areas downtown were 85% to 90% full during peak hours, but only 60% of the 2,352 spaces were occupied at any one time of the day, according to Robert Bramen, vice president of consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff, Quade and Douglas Inc.

The survey also noted insufficient parking space on some blocks, and shopper complaints that a two-hour time limit was too short. Suggestions ranged from more rigorous enforcement of time limits and increased fines to elimination of all parking meters and more and better signs.