Balboa Island gets first disabled parking spot

June Casagrande

BALBOA ISLAND -- Valinda Martin used to circle the island’s dense

downtown in search of a parking spot where she could get her wheelchair

out of her van without holding up traffic for five minutes.

Her search is over.

Last week, Balboa Island got its first-ever parking spot for people

with disabilities after a little work by City Councilman Steve Bromberg.

“It was very nice that Steve worked on having this done,” said Martin,

owner of Art for the Soul on Marine Avenue. “It makes it much easier for

the people who need it.”

Bromberg said he asked City Manager Homer Bludau to look into

installing the parking space after a man with disabilities wrote to

complain about getting a parking ticket for parking in a yellow zone.

Autos with disabled placards may park in yellow and green zones, but not

in red.

“Obviously, there was a need for handicapped parking there,” said

Bromberg, a Balboa Island resident and former head of the local

homeowners’ association..

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires new commercial properties

to include parking for people with disabilities, but it doesn’t govern

parking spaces on city property. And because Balboa Island has next to no

commercial parking, there has never been such a parking space there.

The new parking spot is near the fire station on Park Avenue, in front

of the restrooms. Since the spot was created last week, Bromberg said it

is seldom empty. Martin’s van, as well as numerous other cars with

placards, regularly take advantage of the space.

“It’s nice to see,” Bromberg said.