SR-417-003-01 (19)
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GS,SS'RD'db Santa Monica, Callfornla
CounCll Meetlng, November 22. 1983
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NOV 2 2 19B)
To:
Mayor and Clty Councll
From:
Clty Staff
Subject:
Preferentlal Parkl ng Survey of the Area
Bounded by Maln Street. Thlrd Street,
Ocean Park Boulevard and the South
Clty Limlts
Introductlon
Th1S report provides C1ty Counc1l wlth the results of the
Preferentlal Parking Survey of the area bounded by Maln Street,
Thlrd Street, Ocean Park Boulevard and the south City llmlts.
Background
The Clty Manager requested Clty Staff to conduct a survey of
resldents in the area bounded by Maln Street, Thlrd Street, Ocean
Park Boulevard and the south Clty l1mlts regardlng their feellngs
and perceptlons about the recently lmplemented preferential
parking zone. A questlonalre was developed by the Clty'S Parklng
and Traffic Team. (Copy attached) The Parking and Trafflc Team
has representatives from the General Servlces Department, Police
Department,
Flre Department, Transportation Department, and
Plannlng Department, and the Clty Manager's offlce.
The questlonalres were hand dellvered to all dwell1ng unlts 1n
the study area by the Pollee Explorer Scouts at the end of July.
Staff collected the surveys for a 30 day perlod and then began
analysls of the petltions. ApproXlmately 375 petltions were
dell vered to resldents. Staff received 131 responses.
The survey lndlcates 64 percent of the respondents were elther
satlsfled or very satlsfled wlth the preferentlal parklng zone
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NO'J 2 2 \983
Santa MonlCdt Californ13
Council Meeting, November 22t 1983
and 31 percent were dissatlsfled or very dlssatlsfled wlth the
zone. The balance of 6 percent had no oplnion.
The survey lnd1cated the following.
69 percent of the resldents have 11ved in the area longer
than 3 years.
74 percent of the respondents are renters.
60 percent of the resldents have off-street parking.
27 percent of the respondents lndlcated off-street parklng
was belng used for other purposes such as storage or
residences.
48 percent of the respondents slgned the orginal petltion
for preferential parklng.
70 percent of the respondents have purchased a preferentlal
parklng permlt.
77 percent of the respondents percelved that more parklng
is now avallable than before the preferentlal zone was
established. (ThlS may be due to more people uSlng the
aVdllable off-street parking).
37 percent of the respondents had received a cltatlon for
parklng In the preferent1al parklng Zone. The vast maJority
of the citatlons were lssued for not properly displaying
the preferential parklng permit.
10 percent have had thelr vehlcles towed from the preferential
park1ng zone.
The level of enforcement 15 a maJor concern of res1dents In
the preferentlal parking zone. Slxty percent of the respondents
are elther satlsfled or very satisfled. and 31 percent were
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GS:SS:RD:db Santa Monlca, Cal1fornla
Councll Meetlng, November 22, 1983
dissatisfied or very dlssatisfled wlth the enforcement of the
preferentlal park1ng lone. The percentage of respondents 1n favor
of towlng vehicles not dlsplaY1ng perm1ts was 59 percent with 34
percent opposlng and 7 percent havlng no opln1on.
The
greatest
percentage
of
respondents
expresslng
dlssastlfactlon wlth the preferentlal parklng zone occurred in
the 2600 and 3000 blocks of Thlrd Street. The prlmary reason
glven was the lnconvenlence to the resldents and the difflculty
of entertalnlng guests in their homes.
Generally, resldents in the area on a block by block baS1S
were split evenly over the lssue of towing vehlcles. The
exceptlons were the 2900 and 3000 blocks of 2nd Street and the
east/west streets between Maln Street and Thlrd Streets. Over 75%
of the respondents on these blocks were In favor of towlng
vehlcles. These blocks also had the hlghest percentages of
respondentls belng very satlsfled with the preferential parking
lone.
The Pollee Department has indicated concern 1n regards to the
towlng of vehlcles from Preferentlal Parklng Zones because 1t
requl res
tne
dlverSlon
of
sworn personnel from routine
assignments to asslst in towlng and the adminlstratlon of
releas1ng vehicles. The prlmary reason lndivlduals whose vehlcles
had been towed were extremely hostlle or had been drlnklng.
Staff has prov1ded a summary of the comments on attachment I.
The most frequent comments were that the permlts were too
expensive, guest permlts should be free or less in cost, the
streets are qUleter at nlght, preferentlal parklng should be
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GS:SS:RD:db Santa Monlca, Callfornla
Councll Meetlng~ November 22, 1983
enforced on weekend days and enforcement lS not str1ct enough. In
addltlon~ many resldents feel the nelghborhood lS safer and
real1ze the need for a parking structure for the Maln Street
bUS1nesses.
A detailed analysls of the preferentlal parklng survey by a
block by block baS1S 15 avallable for public review in the Clty
Manager's or the C1ty Park1ng and Traffic Eng1neerls offlce.
POllCY Issues
The
maJ 0 r
polley
lssues are 1) whether to keep the
preferentlal park1ng zone, 2) whether to tow vehlcles parking in
the zone which do not have permlts.
The survey 1ndicates two thlrds of the overall res1dents
respond1ng were In favor of preferentlal parklng zone wlth the
greatest satlsfactlon 1n the areas most affected by Main Street
bus1nesses and the least satlsfactlon In areas where park1ng 15
not as a crltlcal lssue. Staff bell eves that if the preferent1al
parklng zones were el1m1nlated 1n the areas experlenelng greatest
dlssat1sfaet10n, parklng would soon become an lssue as customers
of Maln Street establlshments dlscovered these unregulated
parklng areas.
The lssue of tow1ng vehlcles not d1splaYlng a permit lS more
complex. The survey lndlcated overall that 59 percent were 1n
favor of towing and 34 percent were agalnst and 7 percent had no
oplnlon.
The overall results are affected by the overwhelmlng
support of towlng in the areas which are more dlrectly affected
by Main Street bus1nesses.
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GS:SS:RD:db Santa Monica~ Callfornla
Councll Meeting~ November 22, 1983
The issue of towlng lncreases the time and cost of the Clty to
admlnlster and enforce the preferentlal parklng lone. Police
Offlcers have to be asslgned to work in conJunctlon wlth the
parking checkers to cite and tow vehicles away. Additlonal
Pollce personnel are requlred at the front desk of the Police
Statlon to admlnlster the release of lmpounded vehicles. The
towaway policy created alot of hostility ln the nelghborhood
especially when a resident's vehlcle was towed. The noise level
also lncreased due to the tow trucks operating in the area.
~udget/Flnanclal
There lS no flnanclal lmpact
Policy Recommendatlons
It lS recommended that Clty Council 1) maintaln the existlng
preferential parklng lone, and 2) continue the present policy of
lssuing citations but not towing vehlcles WhlCh do not dlsplay
permits in the preferentlal parklng lone.
Prepared by:
Stan Scholl J Oi rector of General Services
Ray Davis, City Parklng & Trafflc Engineer
Attachment:
12} Survey Questionalre
} Survey Comments
3} Survey Results
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