BUENA PARK : Parking Restrictions Policy Gets Initial OK

Residents along narrow streets who want parking restricted to allow two-way traffic will have to collect signatures of 25% of their neighbors under a new policy tentatively approved by the City Council.

The Traffic and Transportation Commission developed the policy after it received requests last spring for restrictions on San Alto Way.

It discovered that most of the residents would rather put up with impeded traffic flow than lose street parking spaces, traffic engineer Herb Vargas said.

Traffic officials consider a street to be narrow if it has a curb-to-curb width of 28 feet or less.

When parking is permitted on both sides, cars going in opposite directions cannot pass each other.

Under the new policy, if some residents want no-parking signs on one side of the street, they must present petition signatures before the city considers the request.

Traffic officials will then conduct a survey and wait until 75% of neighbors have responded. If at least 67% of the respondents want the change, the city will consider it a consensus, Vargas said.

The council will consider the policy for final approval in early October.