Improving Parking for San Bruno Residents

By Marty Medina

Public Comment during City Council Meeting on October 13, 2015.

I have walked every San Bruno neighborhood while running for City Council. It is a great experience. When I first started working here in 2001 a number of neighborhoods had parking problems, but now more and more areas are being affected. I have heard from many residents from all over town. In the Avenues, Mills Park, San Anselmo, Valleywood, Summit, Elston, and many others. There are too many cars.

Following are some ideas to consider to improve the parking problems for our residents.

Permitted parking. The San Bruno Traffic Safety Parking Committee (TSPC) discussed permitted parking in a neighborhood at its August 5, 2015 meeting. I suggest more neighborhoods be contacted to let the residents decide if a permitted parking program is right for them. Extensive community outreach is needed to hear and understand each neighborhood's problem. How many permits does each house get? What hours will the permits be required? How much will permits cost? What do you do about limousines on our street? If I don't drive a car, can I rent out my space? These and other questions need answers.

Widen Driveway Approaches. Additional driveway parking space can be created by widening driveways. Furthermore the costs could be considerably lowered if the work was combined with the City's sidewalk repair program and the City waived permit fees. I know because I managed that program when I was a San Bruno Public Works Inspector.

Paint parking spaces. The City could also paint the parking spaces (like they do downtown) to assist proper spacing of vehicles and better utilize the existing street parking spaces. This would avoid one car taking up two spots.

Car-Sharing. We should also consider allowing car-sharing companies like Zipcar or Cityshare to operate in some neighborhoods. These companies charge customers a fee to use a car only when they need it. Many people save money using this option versus vehicle ownership.

Inoperable Vehicles. A number of properties have inoperable vehicles parked in their driveways. This is a violation of the existing San Bruno Municipal Code. I would strongly encourage these vehicles to be fixed, sold, donated to non-profit organization. Furthermore, some vehicles have been blocking the sidewalk for years. Enforcing the existing rules will free up the scarce parking spaces, clear up the sidewalks, and increase the neighborhood's appearance.

Voting. By now all voters should have their ballots. For those of you that are undecided I want to stress to you tonight why it is so important to have new and fresh ideas to solve our community's problems. Let's start having these meetings to implement some of these ideas.

Please vote for Marty Medina and mail in your ballot. I invite your questions and comments to medinaforsanbruno2015@gmail.com or call (650) 741-1055.

Thank you for your consideration.