A motion introduced by Councilman Jack Weiss permitting apron parking in the North Village remains at the center of much controversy.
The motion allows apron parking as long as cars do not block the sidewalk or the street, said Alex Fay, a UCLA alumnus who now works in the office of City Councilman Bill Rosendahl.
A car is said to be “apron parked” if it extends beyond the driveway and obstructs the sidewalk. This can hamper accessibility for pedestrians, especially those who are disabled.
Fay said he believes most students have not been penalized for apron parking up to this point.
“As I understand, (apron parking) is still continuing. I don’t believe the (parking enforcement officers) are writing tickets for cars that are blocking the sidewalk or blocking the street,” he said.
Though the motion has been met with some opposition, Fay said he thinks it is a good idea.
“We have an issue where the city is engaging in selective enforcement, and that isn’t a good idea. If we have intent, I believe that is the law and should be the law,” he said.
Michael Dukakis, a visiting professor in the School of Public Policy, has been pushing for two years to get apron parking banned in North Village. The former governor and Democratic presidential candidate said his campaign against apron parking began when he barely avoided a head-on collision on Strathmore Drive.
“One night I was driving up Strathmore and there were four SUVs blocking the lane. I had to move into the other lane and I almost got hit by a car coming towards me,” he said.
Dukakis said Weiss’ motion to legalize apron parking cannot stand because it is violation of the Federal Disabilities Act. This act guarantees the handicapped the right to freely travel public walkways.
“You can’t do that because that’s a violation of federal and state law. Some disabled students can’t use the sidewalk. Unless the city acts to do something about this, in all probability it will be sued,” he said.
Matthew Sperry, a third-year computer science student, said while he feels the motion to legalize apron parking may produce short-term relief, in the long run, it will not address the source of the problem.
“I think it’s a band-aid solution because utilizing apron parking permits a few more parking spaces, but the population of (North Village) will continue to grow,” he said.
Sperry said he believes officials should focus on ways for students to easily get around Westwood and the surrounding area.
“It would be better to attack the problem at the source, which is a lack of transportation options,” he said.
While the debate on the motion continues, both sides are considering alternative options.
Fay said the city is currently investigating “car-sharing,” a program that allows companies to lend out parallel-parked cars that could be reserved for public use.
“These are cars that you reserve online and are available in advance. City program will make spaces on the street available to these cars,” he said.
Dukakis said he believes North Village could learn about possible solutions by observing other communities.
“This is not the only university community that has these kinds of problems. There’s one town south of Los Angeles that gives owners permits that allows people to park parallel to the apron,” he said.
Despite these options, Sperry said the permanent solution to the problem is better alternative forms of transportation.
“If Southern California could work towards convenient and successful alternative transportation options, our traffic problems would decrease and apron parking would probably go with them,” he said.