Though many proposals have been suggested, no solutions are in sight for North Village residents who face tickets for apron parking, the term used to describe cars that are parked in driveways between the street and the sidewalk.
Alex Fay, an alumnus and North Village resident, said he has been in contact with city officials and residents on the issue, which was brought up last October when it was announced that a new city ordinance would result in the enforcement of an existing law.
Fay said he was told by staff from City Councilman Jack Weiss’ office that enforcement was set to begin around July 1.
“It seems that the city has made it pretty clear that they do plan to enforce this change,” he said.
Calls to Weiss’ office were not returned by press time.
About 250 cars would be affected by the enforcement, which has been delayed twice since October.
Sherlyn Mossahebfar, Facilities commissioner for the Undergraduate Students Association Council, said a petition signed by students last fall persuaded city officials to delay enforcement until the start of winter break and again until the end of spring quarter to allow students to take their cars home.
She said her staff is currently working to contact with Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgado to see if the city can push back enforcement again.
Mossahebfar said she believes finding a solution is not the sole responsibility of the school or the city, but a collaborate effort.
“Ultimately it has to be between the school and the city,” she said.
Students, apartment managers and other North Village residents held a meeting on June 7 to discuss possible solutions.
However, some Westwood residents are not pushing for alternatives, but instead for the city to give up plans for apron parking enforcement.
A group called the North Village Association for Parking Solutions operates a blog called “North Village Parking According to Michael Dukakis.”
In the blog, users can anonymously post submissions, many of them critical of Michael Dukakis, a former presidential candidate and professor in the UCLA School of Public Affairs, who was one of the initiators pushing for apron parking enforcement.
But Fay said the supporters from the association had unrealistic views.
“(The) city doesn’t have power to choose whether or not to enforce that,” he said.
There are residents who have called for the city to regulate parking through neighborhood permits.
But Fay said a permit system would not work for the North Village, since many apartments have multiple residents with separate cars and the permit system would not accommodate all the cars.
“(They are) really designed for single family communities,” he said.
He said he believes expanding the presence of Flexcar, an hourly car rental service, in North Village is the most viable solution.
Walter King, general manager of the Los Angeles region for Flexcar, said the current fleet of 18 cars on the Hill and in the North Village have reduced parking and car ownership.
“(It’s) statistically proven that we’ve reduced the need for 270 vehicles in the area,” he said.
Representatives from the company attended the neighborhood meeting and are working with the city to obtain more spaces for Flexcars in North Village.
King said representatives are in negotiations with officials from the Los Angeles city council and the department of transportation.
“Let’s bring 20 Flexcars into the neighborhood to open up 300 parking spaces and completely minimize the need to own a vehicle,” he said.
In one of the anonymous blog postings from North Village Association for Parking Solutions, a user wrote, “Who (would pay) for the rental? No good alternative has ever been suggested! It is a lot more than 200 cars because tandem parking is a way of life in the North Village.”
King said his service could be a cost-effective substitute for affected car owners who do not drive every day but instead use their car a few times a week or to go out of town on the weekends.
“Folks that need to have their car driving to work, those are the folks that need to have a parking space,” King said.
Fay said Flexcar and other car sharing programs could possibly change the culture of car ownership at UCLA, but the success would rely upon the support of residents.
“(It) reinforces the idea that you don’t need a car to live in Westwood and UCLA,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of effort to get the residents around that.”