Curbs Turn Yellow After Merchants See Red

Yellow curb-side paint permitting quick-stop parking appeared on West Wilson Avenue in downtown Glendale last week almost as quickly as the curbs--and the tempers of merchants--turned red last month.

Glendale City officials compromised on their earlier stance to prohibit all curb-side parking on a two-block stretch of Wilson after dozens of merchants and their customers angrily complained that the parking restrictions were unnecessary and inconvenient.

Parking meters have been removed and the curbs painted red along Wilson between Brand Boulevard and Central Avenue to permit double traffic lanes and left-turn lanes. Parking spaces have been added to public lots nearby.

Wilson is designed to become a key alternative east-west route in the downtown area to relieve congestion on Broadway and Colorado Street near the Glendale Galleria.

Merchants Complain

Several small merchants along the street, including a dry cleaners, a shoe repair shop, a print shop and other stores that provide in-and-out service, said customers complained that parking in lots is inconvenient.

City traffic officials decided to permit a few loading zones along the street after merchants brought their complaints to the Glendale City Council.

One yellow loading space was painted in the 100 block and two spaces provided in the 200 block. The zones permit commercial vehicles to park up to 20 minutes, and customers are expected to stay no more than 3 minutes.

Merchants this week said they are slightly appeased by the compromise but would still prefer restoring green curbs, which permit regular parking.

Kristine Cho, who operates Don’s Cleaners with her husband Chung, said their business fell by 50% within two weeks after the curb was painted red. “Our customers told us it looks like a different street,” she said. “They didn’t know where we were.”

Cho credited merchants and customers for banding together to persuade city officials to restore some short-term parking. She said her business is beginning to build again since a loading zone was painted in front of her shop last week, but is still slow.

“People are scared to park in a yellow zone. They don’t know what it means. They think it is for commercial vehicles only.” Cho said she explains to customers individually that the city traffic code permits patrons to use the zone for a few minutes for pickup and delivery.

“My husband and I have been working for 6 years, 64 hours a week, to build our business,” she said. “Now we finally have a little house for our family, but how can we make the payments? The city took away everything we have built up without notice.”

Jonnie Balian, who specializes in orthopedic shoes at his shoe repair store just a few doors west of the cleaners, said the nearby loading zone is still not convenient for his customers, many of whom are elderly and handicapped. He has asked the city to install an additional yellow zone in front of his store.

Although Balian, also, said his business has declined by 50%, he admits he has picked up a few new clients who said they did not know his store was there until they had to pass by it from the parking lot to their destination. “Some new people notice me now,” he said, “but a yellow zone is more important for my business.”

Ted Munn, 55, who operates his 53-year-old family-owned jewelry business with his 82-year-old mother, said he is not affected by walk-by traffic because most of his customers come from long distances. However, he said the city “pulled something that is not needed, and it’s hogwash.” Munn suggested that the city post “no parking” signs during peak traffic hours only, such as 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.

Kenneth Johnson, city traffic engineer, said the yellow zones are only temporary but will remain for at least a year. “We’ll continue monitoring the street, and if traffic volume increases and we need to remove them, we will,” he said.