Task Force Seeks Parking Solutions
Clare Curley, Berkeley Voice, December 14, 2001

A proposal to hike parking tickets to as high as $35 could kill two birds with one stone -- bring in extra parking enforcement funds, and kick off a program to encourage public transportation.

The suggestion, made by local activist L A Wood, would return a portion of the money to offenders in the form of vouchers for BART or other public transportation. It is just one idea of many to come up in recent discussions on how to deal with the city's limited parking supply.

The penalty starts at about $22 for expired meters and permit violations. "Let's not just be punitive," Wood said.

Wood is a member of a volunteer Residential Parking Permit (RPP) task force charged with proposing a list of solutions to the city by next month.

This year the city's traffic, parking and finance departments began investigating how to change the city's permit process, for both temporary and permit parking. Community input was prompted by perceived misuse of the old permit program.

The RPP committee is scheduled to go before the City Council on Jan. 22 and present a report based on its research. It will cover issues related to permit parking, including the distribution system, enforcement, and eligibility.

According to Berkeley Finance Director Fran David, one discovery has been that the permit process is more complicated than it seems.

"I think what's come out of the RPP program is its not going to function well if it doesn't have adequate enforcement support out on the streets," said David. "That's pretty much been a consistent theme of discussion."

Currently, permanent residential parking permits can be obtained by showing vehicle registration at a Berkeley address and a photo identification. An annual permit costs $21 per vehicle, and some low-income residents qualify for a 50 percent discount.

Residents may also purchase visitor permits for guest use, though the guidelines for doing so have become stricter due to reports of permits obtained fraudulently.

The parking problem has been evident at several council meetings where police officers, senior citizens and other residents have shown up to plead for permits. After months of research, the task force has come up with about 10 pages of findings for the council.

"The (RPP) committee is intrigued by L A's idea, but we don't have a clue how we would administer it," said David, who called the suggestion "very resource-intensive."

The task force had hoped to finish by this fall, but the group faces limitations other than a lack of parking space, according to Wood.

"We've gone from 8 or 9 people to five," he said, "We haven't been recognized like a commission process."

Still, headway has been made in other areas, such as controlling temporary permits. Earlier this year, the city started restricting its program by limiting the number of one-day and 14-day permits it would issue at a given time.

Fewer and farther between are the neighborhoods where a car can be parked for more than two hours without being cited.

David estimated that roughly 10,000 residents have permanent parking permits. While enforcement resources are down, the city's enforceable areas continue to expand.

The City Council recently approved spending $900 to install enforcement signs on a few blocks along California and Cedar streets and Hearst Avenue -- the latest in a list of areas to request permit parking on their streets.

And, as the number of permits go up, so should the public's awareness.

For instance, folks who tend to park near Hearst and Bontia Avenue and take the shuttle to campus will have to seek out some parking alternatives.

Generally, parking for cars without permits is limited to two hours between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. (except Sundays and holidays).

Churches, community centers and schools receive a certain amount of permits for their staff members, and some of them have also been limited, as well.

After the January presentation, City Manager Weldon Rucker plans to review it and come back in March with some recommendations for the council.