HOLLYWOOD-BY-THE-SEA : Parking Ban Goes Into Effect Monday

Residents of the Channel Islands beach district had mixed reactions Friday to a county plan banning on-street parking.

Although some say it will ease congestion on their narrow side streets, others wonder where they will park.

Under the plan, which takes effect Monday, parking will be prohibited on all streets less than 20 feet wide in the Channel Islands Beach Community Services District. Violators will be cited.

“They choke this thing up so much we can hardly move,” said Willard Woodard, who lives on a dead-end street in Hollywood-by-the-Sea. The five-year resident said cars driven by beach visitors often block his driveway.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Marce Hammock-Wise, describing an incident three months ago in which an ambulance had difficulty maneuvering along her tiny, congested street in Hollywood-by-the-Sea.

But neighbor Cindy Heinemeyer was stunned by the law. “Where are you going to park?” she asked incredulously, throwing her arms about her to indicate the cluttered street. “You’ve got no place to park.”

Despite the threat of tickets, about 86% of residents who answered a survey last summer approved of the plan, said James A. Antonioli, vice president of the district board of directors. Cars parked on narrow side streets prevent emergency vehicles from reaching potential trouble spots in Hollywood-by-the-Sea, Hollywood Beach and Silver Strand, Antonioli said. The plan also enables motorists to more easily spot children who may dart into traffic, he said.

“The safety of the community depends on the clearance of the blacktop streets,” Antonioli said.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol will cite violators, Antonioli said. Street signs, reading “Park Off Pavement,” have been installed along cramped streets.

Antonioli said there is ample off-street parking. “Most houses have space for two or three cars, excluding garages,” he said.

The community services district and the County Fire Protection District began considering the parking plan two years ago, Antonioli said. The Ventura County Public Works Agency installed the signs.

The district’s next meeting will be Monday at 6 p.m. at the Channel Islands harbor master’s office on Pelican Way.