By Susan Archibald Santa Monica
(This letter was originally addressed to the Santa Monica City Council). As a resident on Ninth Street, I purchased guest parking permits. I thought that I could easily use one in the event that I couldn’t use my garage. I was wrong! Recently, after I purchased a new car, I found myself with an extra car and tried to find parking near my home. I have had to park as far away as Michigan Avenue and 11th Street on some evenings. I hadn’t fully realized the extent of the parking problem on Ninth Street before because I used my garage and only owned one car. Now that I constantly need to find parking I see that there truly is a problem. I don’t understand why only one side of Ninth Street is covered by permit parking. I think that both sides of the street should be permit parking, 24 hours a day.
Additionally, I don’t understand the concept of city planning that allows a large institution to visit their parking onto the city streets. Santa Monica High School, for example, should be required to build a parking structure or limit vehicle use among their students. The Coffee Bean and U-Haul, among others, should also be required to provide parking for their customers and staff. I note that the city of Santa Monica has provided parking structures for the Third Street Promenade, why not provide parking in other areas of the city impacted by high density parking problems?
The reports that I have seen from the parking department compare Ninth Street to Bay Street — I don’t even know exactly where Bay Street is. Bay Street is obviously far from Ninth Street and on the other side of a major boulevard. I don’t understand the comparison at all.
I hope you will reconsider your stand on permit parking for both sides of Ninth Street, between Michigan Avenue and Pico Boulevard.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 7, 2003. Read the original PDF.