WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) — Neighbors in Hillside, a Walnut Creek neighborhood, are testing out a parking pilot project to keep the streets cleared of traffic jams.
Annually, around this time of year, people flock to Shell Ridge Open Space for picturesque views of California poppy super blooms expected later this month. The parking restrictions are upsetting to some visitors.
Sandwich boards reading “Restricted parking” and “Residential parking only with placard” lay flat on landscapes along Sutherland Drive and Virginia Court in Walnut Creek. But starting this past weekend, through the spring, they will be up every Friday morning through Sunday nights, discouraging visitors to Shell Ridge Open Space from parking near homes.
Video filmed of the area during last year’s California poppy super bloom season shows the traffic congestion caused by people driving into the community to see the flowers.
One resident named Susan has lived in the neighborhood for 35 years and said the problem has worsened over the years.
“It became a safety issue,” said Susan. “We were fearful of wildfires. One occasion I couldn’t get out of my driveway because there was just standing traffic.”
In the past year, Susan and other members of the Sutherland Drive and Virginia Court neighborhood committee worked with the City of Walnut Creek, which manages the open space and Contra Costa County, which regulates the roads, for a solution to the program. The result is a pilot program restricting parking with the signs, fliers and an electronic billboard suggesting drivers find alternative parking.
“Last year was absolutely horrible and then they had to live it here,” said a neighbor named Lana. “I had to live it, but I live three blocks away. But Walnut Boulevard, which is a main thoroughfare, is now blocked off with cars.”
Though there are several other ways to reach the open space without parking in the neighborhood, some frequent park visitors are upset about being discouraged from parking on public property.
“I don’t think it’s right,” said a park visitor named Susan. “I mean there’s public open space. We’re paying tax dollars to be able to use this open space. I mean, if you choose to live here, then that’s where you choose to live. But these are county streets. It’s maintained by the county, and you know, it’s public space. It should be used by everyone.”
The County Public Works Department said it will evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program after the spring and hopes getting the word out before the super bloom season will prevent the need for any enforcement.
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) — Neighbors in Hillside, a Walnut Creek neighborhood, are testing out a parking pilot project to keep the streets cleared of traffic jams. Annually, around this time of year, people flock to Shell Ridge Open Space for picturesque views of California poppy super blooms expected later this month. The parking restrictions […]
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