Readers Respond -- City trying to put the boot on RVS

I am still in a state of disbelief regarding the city of Costa

Mesa’s decision to restrict RV parking. It is my understanding that there

is already a law that restricts RV parking to 72 hours. This seemed

reasonable to us and we subsequently obeyed this law by moving our RV off

our street within this 72-hour time limit.

If enforced properly, this law should work to keep degenerate RVs off

public roads for extended periods of time, which seems to be the core of

the problem. It is not the law-abiding RV owners that are creating this

problem, yet we are the ones who are being punished with the city’s

restrictions.

Forcing us to register every time we take a trip is so unbelievably

restrictive. I can only imagine the bureaucratic nightmare we will have

to endure in order to register.

Will we be forced to wait in lines to get this done (Images of the DMV

come to mind)? Will we have to pay to register? Do we lose the freedom to

decide to take a trip the day before we leave? Should we wear armbands in

public to identify us as “RV owners?”

Unlike the bad press we seem to be receiving these days, the majority

of RV owners are decent, hard-working, family-oriented, law-abiding

citizens who enjoy the RV lifestyle and the freedom it offers to go

anywhere we want, any time we want.

The city of Costa Mesa obviously does not understand this and feels we

need to be punished for choosing this type of vacation lifestyle.

More restrictions should not be the answer, but rather proper code

enforcement. Do not punish the hundreds (if not thousands) of law-abiding

RV owners for the unlawful actions of a handful of people.

ROBIN BENHAM

Costa Mesa

In voting against a law that places restrictions on RV owners Costa

Mesa Councilman Gary Monahan remarked: “There’s a lot of things that I

don’t like the looks of, but I’m not trying to outlaw them.”

I agree with him, but there is a much more important reason for

restricting recreational vehicles from parking on our streets than just

“looks.”

A huge RV is parked on the corner of a quiet street I often visit.

Whenever I leave that street to turn onto one that has a great deal of

traffic, I am forced to inch out very carefully in order to see oncoming

traffic.

By the time I can see around the RV, I’m already at a point an

incoming car could hit me, which has almost happened.

I couldn’t help but wonder about the children playing ball behind me.

That same RV would block the view of cars turning onto that street, and

the driver might not see the children until it was too late to miss them.

I’m writing to say there is far more at stake than the “looks” of RVs.

Restricting their parking on our streets is all about safety.

JANICE WHITE

Costa Mesa