BUENA PARK : City OKs Measures to Restrict Parking

The City Council has approved two measures that will restrict parking on sections of Grand Avenue, Holder Street and La Cienaga Drive.

Under the plan, 60 feet on the southbound side of Grand Avenue north of Crescent Avenue will be red-zoned, allowing only buses to stop there.

Officials at the convention and visitors office made the request to make it easier for tourist buses to load and unload passengers, said city traffic engineer Herbert Vargas.

Parked cars in that area would force bus drivers to stop in a traffic lane, causing a potentially dangerous situation, he said. Now only buses may stop in the red zone.

Meanwhile, Principal Barbara Sanchez of Raymond Temple School and Lucille M. Settles, Centralia School District Safety Committee member, asked that parking be restricted to improve traffic circulation and visibility near the school.

The council on Monday voted to red-zone 20 feet on the north side of Holder east of La Cienaga and another 20 feet on the north side of La Cienaga west of Holder. On La Cienaga, parking will be restricted on school days between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Only school buses will be able to park in the red zones. The parking lot will be available for parents who are dropping off or picking up students.

“What we were trying to accomplish is having all students dropped off on the east side of Holder Street or in the school parking lot so there will not be any students walking across the street,” Vargas said.

Neither area has reported a high number of accidents, but the action was taken to ease congestion and prevent future problems, officials said.