MOORPARK : Street Parking Near Metrolink Restricted

The Moorpark City Council has decided to limit all-day parking on portions of High and Magnolia streets at the request of downtown merchants who say Metrolink commuters parking near their shops are cutting off customer access.

The new restrictions, slated to go into effect next week, will establish a two-hour limit for on-street parking in the immediate vicinity of the Metrolink lot between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“This primarily comes at the urging of the merchants on the street (who say) that their customers are unable to park during the day anywhere near their establishments because of the parking we believe is associated with Metrolink,” said Mayor Paul Lawrason. “In order to give them a little breather and a little elbow room, we’ve decided to take this course.”

Lawrason, who commutes to the San Fernando Valley on Metrolink daily, said many riders park on High Street to avoid the main Metrolink parking lot south of the railroad tracks, because it can take up to 15 minutes to leave the lot each evening.

In addition to the new parking restrictions, the council voted 4 to 0 this week to instruct city staff members to investigate ways to expand access to the lot in an attempt to improve circulation and prompt more riders to use the south parking lot.