Hermosa Beach Ordered to Restrict PCH Parking

After battling with the state for more than 20 years over rush-hour congestion on Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach has been given 60 days to do its part for commuters by restricting curbside parking along its stretch of the thoroughfare.

In a Dec. 3 letter, J.B. Baxter, District 7 director for the state Department of Transportation, warned that unless Hermosa Beach officials provide a no-stopping zone on the west side of the highway during the evening rush, Caltrans will do it for them.

Hermosa Beach has consistently argued that the parking ban would put merchants out of business and create an expressway in the heart of town.

Caltrans spokesman Karl F. Berger said the agency usually backs away from forcing a city to institute a parking ban, preferring to rely on cooperation. He said the state was forced to act when employers in surrounding cities complained that the parked cars were creating a regional traffic problem.