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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Drivers, Stop Spinning Your Wheels

Finding a parking spot in urban neighborhoods can amount to a frustrating amateur sport, as drivers whip around block after block looking for an open space. But in Glendale, which attracts regional shoppers to its Glendale Galleria and Americana at Brand malls, it also amounts to the potential loss of sales tax dollars. So, now, the city is planning to install electronic signs at major intersections directing drivers to open spaces at three of the city’s largest parking garages. The signs are an extension of the now common signs found at the parking garage entrances. “They won’t have to circle around the block and look for on-street parking when it’s tight,” said Councilman Ara Najarian, who has spearheaded the project. “They will be able to get in and out of the parking structures quickly.” The signs will be installed between the 134 Freeway and Colorado Street and will be linked to the Exchange parking structure on North Maryland Avenue, the Marketplace structure on South Maryland Avenue and a garage on Orange Street. Congestion has almost forced cities to make the process of parking more efficient. Recently, some cities have banned app companies that grab open spaces and list them for sale at a premium – a business model seen as profiting off a public good. In response, the city of Los Angeles, for example, is running a pilot program with its own system, called L.A Express Park, which alerts drivers who have downloaded a smart phone app of available spaces at meters outfitted with wireless sensors. The Glendale initiative isn’t that sophisticated, but its origins actually date back eight years to when the city contracted with San Francisco mobility planning company Nelson-Nygaard to develop the signs. However, the project got delayed when Gov. Jerry Brown eliminated local development programs to plug a hole in the state budget. That forced the city to look elsewhere for funding. Najarian, a Metro board member, found a resource with the agency’s Call for Projects Grant program and secured $694,026 for the parking signs. They should finally be up early next year. “I think it will make it a piece of cake for the folks coming in,” Najarian said. “It is clearly going to have immediate benefits and an immediate impact.” –Mateo Melero

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