Council Relents, Votes to Reinstall 6 Meters Along Wilson Avenue

Merchants along a two-block stretch of West Wilson Avenue in Glendale scored a victory after a weeks-old effort to restore curbside parking outside their businesses.

City Council voted 3 to 2 on Tuesday to add six meters that will restore parking during non-peak traffic hours along Wilson Avenue, between Brand Boulevard and Central Avenue.

Parking will be allowed between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., before 7 a.m. and after 6:30 p.m., said Kahtan Bayati, associate traffic engineer for Glendale.

The parking meters will be installed “as soon as possible,” Bayati said.

In February, the city removed 10 parking meters and painted the curb red in front of the stores to make room for double traffic lanes, allowing a smoother flow of traffic. The change on Wilson is part of a $12-million program to alleviate downtown congestion.

Although more parking spaces were added to off-street lots within a half-block of the affected shops, merchants complained that business had fallen sharply because the parking lots were not as convenient for customers.

The merchants continued to push for restoration of at least some on-street parking, prompting Councilman John F. Day to ask the city Public Works Department to study the issue and provide the City Council with alternatives.

Several merchants attending Tuesday’s council meeting applauded the vote.

“We didn’t exactly win, but we got something. We’re thrilled,” said Fleury Middaugh, owner of a West Wilson Avenue print shop.

“The loading zone didn’t do my clients any good,” said Kenneth J. Revie, owner of a hearing aid center that caters mainly to elderly and disabled patrons. “How can you unload a wheelchair in three minutes?”

Councilman Jerold F. Milner and Mayor Ginger Bremberg opposed the parking change.

“The more changes we make over a period of short time, the more likely it is we will have accidents,” Milner said. “I think it would be better to leave it as it is.”

But Day disagreed: “This is a win-win situation for the city and the folks who are down there and concerned about their business. . . . The total capacity of the street isn’t used at certain hours, so let’s give the merchants a break.”