SOUTH GATE : Council OKs Plan to Ease Parking Woes

The City Council has voted 5-0 to institute a pilot program to determine whether restricting overnight parking to one side of a street can ease the city’s parking woes.

Under the six-month program, scheduled to begin in May, residents who obtain free permits may park on alternate sides of San Juan Avenue between 2 and 5 a.m.

San Juan Avenue was chosen because parking during the day is already limited to alternating sides of the street.

The program was one of several alternatives presented to ease the city’s parking problems, which pose safety hazards and hamper motorists traveling the narrow streets.

In September, residents howled when the city banned street parking from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. unless the vehicle had a permit.

And the council rejected a proposal last fall to charge households a $25 annual parking fee after more than 500 residents protested the move.

According to last week’s ordinance, residents may obtain a free permit to park on San Juan Avenue during the restricted hours, City Manager Todd W. Argow said.

Several residents who spoke at the meeting applauded the measure, suggesting the council extend the program throughout the city.

“We have been fighting the parking problem for six years, and now we have to wait six months to see what will happen. This should be implemented across the city,” said Mary Poole.