To: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
From: ANDREW WINJE, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
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DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING PARKING RESTRICTIONS NEAR CROSSWALKS NEEDED TO COMPLY WITH ASSEMBLY BILL 413, THE “DAYLIGHTING BILL” TO ENSURE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY
INTRODUCE BY TITLE ONLY ORDINANCE NO. 3280-24, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING CHAPTER 7, ARTICLE 3, SECTIONS 3-7.1201, 3-7.1203, 3-7.1204, 3-7.1205, 3-7.1206, 3-7.1207, 3-7.1208 AND 3-7.1209 OF THE REDONDO BEACH MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING PARKING ZONES AND DELETING IN ITS ENTIRETY SECTION 3-7.1210 REGARDING TAXICAB STANDS. FOR INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING
DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION ON THE POSSIBLE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DRIVEWAY PARKING PERMIT PROGRAM
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Assembly Bill (AB) 413 is a state law that went into effect on January 1, 2024. Also known as the “daylighting bill,” AB 413 amended California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 22500 to prohibit the stopping, standing, or parking of any vehicle within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk. The distance is reduced to 15 feet where a curb extension (bulbout) is present. Staff is recommending a change to the Redondo Beach Municipal Code (RBMC) to make it consistent with AB 413 and to clean up obsolete language to reflect best practices with respect to parking restrictions identified by marked curbs and/or signage. Adoption of the Ordinance would allow staff to better implement parking regulations associated with AB 413, and improve enforcement of the City’s overall parking regulations.
This item also provides the City Council an opportunity to discuss the possibility of establishing a driveway parking permit program in the City, which was a previous Council referral. A driveway parking permit program would allow residents, who meet a narrow set of criteria, to acquire permits and park their vehicle in front of their own driveway. It should be noted that while there could be potential benefits to certain residents, the Redondo Beach Police and Fire Departments are concerned the program could create operational impediments that impact public safety.
BACKGROUND
In accordance with AB 413, “daylighting” restrictions may not be enforced prior to January 1, 2025 unless curbs are otherwise marked by signage or paint (red curb). In 2025, jurisdictions will be allowed to enforce the provisions of AB 413 whether or not red curb and/or signage is present, similar to current parking restrictions adjacent to fire hydrants. The City has started to receive questions from residents regarding the City’s plan to implement this law, in addition to the regular requests received by staff to add red curbs to enhance crosswalk safety.
The City’s Engineering staff has discussed education and enforcement strategies with the City’s Parking Enforcement Unit, and together determined that a gradual approach for implementation of AB 413 standards would be appropriate. The attached infographic depicts potential benefits of “daylighting” crosswalks and intersections and is an example of educational material that could be distributed. The Police Department will continue to issue citations for parking or standing along any red curbs and begin an educational campaign on the dangers of blocking crosswalk visibility. The Police Department has also prepared, and will provide, a brief educational flyer for drivers violating CVC 22500 where red curb and/or signage may not be present. In 2025, citations may be considered, depending on the nature of the violation, in accordance with state law.
AB 413 allows a shorter, 15-foot no parking zone if a curb extension (bulbout) is present. City staff have kept this provision in mind when striping new red curb where bulbouts have recently been installed. Staff proposes that, if the 5-foot reduction in the no parking zone could prevent the loss of an additional parking space, installation of a bulbout (using striping and vertical elements such as flexible posts, or using concrete) be considered. Construction of a bulbout must also consider drainage conditions, street sweeping load, and bicycle traffic, which will vary on a case-by-case basis.
Implementation of AB 413 will be especially beneficial at intersections with high pedestrian use, including school and commercial areas. Staff are planning a systematic implementation for these changes, that will prioritize implementation by painting red curbs at the following locations, if approved by Council:
• School zone (painted yellow) crosswalks
• Signalized intersections
• Crosswalks with visibility challenges
• Crosswalks across multiple lanes of traffic in the same direction
• Crosswalks with higher pedestrian crossing volumes
• Other crosswalks determined by engineering staff to experience higher driver/pedestrian conflicts based on engineering judgement and/or resident/RBPD feedback
While the addition of red curbs at many intersections is expected to cause a loss of street parking, shortening the City’s minimum parking zone lengths will provide some offset. It is not yet known exactly how many spaces will be lost but, for comparative purposes, the City/County of San Francisco expects a total on-street parking loss of approximately 5%, if all intersection corners are painted red. San Francisco has a higher intersection density than Redondo Beach, so staff expects a lower percentage of impacted parking spaces in Redondo. Despite the loss of parking, daylighting intersections would provide valuable safety benefits to people driving, biking, and walking on City streets.
The Public Works and Sustainability Commission (PWSC) discussed the new regulations at their March 25, 2024 regular meeting, and supported staff’s proposed implementation strategy. Subsequent to the PWSC meeting, the City Attorney’s office reviewed and approved the proposed RBMC revisions.
In addition to physical alterations in the field, staff believes it is important to clean-up the City’s existing parking ordinance language to make it consistent with AB 413. This will make compliance more understandable for residents and enforcement more efficient for staff.
The California Vehicle Code (CVC) Section 22500 now prohibits parking or stopping 20 feet in advance of any legal crosswalk on the approach side, or 15 feet if a curb extension (bulbout) is present. Cities may install amenities such as bicycle parking corrals or bioswales within the 15 feet daylighting zone, so long as clear sight lines are maintained. Note that daylighting zones are not required on the departure side of crosswalks/intersections, but can be added based on site-specific circumstances and/or engineering judgements.
At a local level, RBMC 3-7.12 currently mandates that no parking zones are painted or marked within 30 feet of any intersection in the Central Traffic District, an area bound by Beryl Street, the coast, Ruby Street, and PCH, or within 25 feet of all other intersections and crosswalks. In practice the City has not prioritized this section of the RBMC, which is more restrictive than AB 413, or given distinction to the Central Traffic District due to the high demand for parking. Proposed revisions to RBMC would modify language to align with state law and reduce the minimum lengths of the City’s marked no parking zones, thereby increasing available curb space for parking.
Staff also recommends revisions to subsections of RBMC Section 3-7.12 to update and remove conflicting red curb language to reflect best practices for discretionary curb markings. The proposed changes take advantage of a state law allowing a reduction of mandatory restricted parking adjacent to a fire hydrant. Engineering staff consulted with the Fire Department, which tested various lengths of no parking zones around fire hydrants. The Fire Department determined that a 20-foot no parking zone, or within 10 feet on either side of a fire hydrant, would be sufficient for their operations. Correspondence between Public Works and Fire Departments are included as part of the attached PWSC Administrative Report. If approved, this would shrink the fire hydrant no parking zone from the default State minimum of 30 feet to a locally adopted minimum of 20 feet, allowing potential gains in unrestricted curb parking. Therefore, staff is recommending the RBMC be updated in order to codify this change. Also, staff recommends removing the taxicab stand section of RBMC (3-7.1210) due to societal and technological shifts towards app-based ride share services along with a lack of known, active taxicab zones within the City.
Private Driveway Parking Permit Program
Staff is also seeking Council direction regarding the possibility of establishing a Private Driveway Parking Permit program. Staff was asked to investigate this possibility and return with a report to Council for further direction. If implemented, the program would offer parking permits for residents who wish to park their own vehicles in front of their own driveway apron per a narrowly-defined set of circumstances. This permit program would be allowed under CVC Section 22507.2, which enables local authorities to issue parking permits (by ordinance) to owners or lessees of property to park a vehicle in front of the owner’s or lessee’s exclusive driveway apron serving their private driveway.
Some cities in California have adopted resolutions to create these driveway parking permit programs, such as Long Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Lawndale. There are various advantages and disadvantages to implementing a driveway parking permit program. The most obvious advantage is increased parking opportunities in parking-impacted areas. Disadvantages include the need to administer and enforce additional parking programs within existing resources, potential disruption of through traffic flow adjacent to active police activities, and a decrease in the number of access points available for emergency services.
Below are various requirements and conditions that could be included in this type of parking permit program, which are modeled after the program established by the City of Long Beach:
• Permits only available for residences with driveway aprons that serve a single dwelling unit
• The permit does not guarantee a parking space if there is insufficient space between other legally parked vehicles
• Only allows for parallel on-street parking where vehicles are parked within the roadway, similar to other vehicles parked along a curb
• Driveway parking permits are specific to the driveway address. Up to one permit may be issued per address, and up to three vehicles may be added to each permit, as long as each vehicle is registered at the address to which the permit applies
• Permits will not be issued if the parked vehicle would conflict with other local and State parking regulations, or create a safety hazard, as determined by the City Engineer or Chief of Police
• Vehicles parked under this program would still be subject to other local and State parking regulations, such as street sweeping restrictions, time limits (if applicable), sidewalk parking, and the CVC. Only one vehicle may be parked along each driveway apron at a time
If adopted by the City Council, the Police Department has estimated that the appropriate permit fee for this type of parking permit would be $300 per permit/per year. This fee would serve to only recover projected costs associated with the program and could be adjusted after data is gathered about real costs. The fee accounts for the increased cost and staff time required to administer parking program and process permits. Each permit application received would require review by a Police Department Municipal Services Officer (or their designee) as well as a representative from the Public Works Engineering Services Division. If Council is in favor of pursuing an ordinance to implement the program, a fee resolution would be brought back for Council consideration at a later date. While Staff anticipates no physical permit will need to be attached to the vehicles, permit stickers would be distributed for each permit’s registered vehicle(s) for public visibility purposes.
The Police Department has expressed some concern regarding the potential program. Operationally, when activity requires emergency response to an address, police vehicles typically only find available parking in front of driveway aprons at the location. If civilian vehicles are parked there, police are forced to park in the street’s travel lanes. This is disruptive to passing traffic, but can be especially onerous on narrow residential streets where legally parked cars prevent a clear path of travel. When this occurs on one-way streets, passing traffic is forced to stop and wait or turn around to drive against the normal flow of traffic.
Engineering staff also met with the Fire Department, which expressed concerns that vehicles parked in front of driveways can affect the transport of medical gurneys between residences and ambulances, and would also affect the ability to respond to residential fires, especially garage fires.
At this time, staff is seeking Council approval of an ordinance amending the RBMC to make it consistent with AB 413 and to clean up obsolete language to reflect best practices with respect to parking restrictions identified by marked curbs and/or signage. Staff is also seeking direction from the City Council on whether to continue moving forward with development of a draft ordinance necessary to implement a Private Driveway Parking Permit program. If desired, staff would prepare the necessary Ordinance and Resolution to establish the framework of the program as well as the fees needed to support its implementation for consideration of approval at a later date.
COORDINATION
The Public Works Department coordinated the preparation of this item with the Fire Department, the Police Department, and the City Attorney’s Office. Communications also took place with Transportation Engineers at other California cities.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the cost to install red curbs at intersections, in accordance with the City’s AB 413 Implementation Plan, is available in the Public Works Department’s annual operating budget. Staff intend to utilize GIS-based technologies to implement and track new red curb installations related to AB 413, which will improve efficiency and the accuracy of red curb inventory. Costs to administer a new parking permit, if recommended by Council, are expected to be recovered through parking permit fees on a cost recovery basis.
APPROVED BY:
Mike Witzansky, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
• Infographic - Assembly Bill 413
• Administrative Report - Public Works and Sustainability Commission, March 25, 2024
• Ord - No. 3280-24 Amending Chapter 7 Article 3, Sections 3-7.1201, 3-7.1203, 3-7.1204, 3-7.1205, 3-7.1206, 3-7.1207, 3-7.1208 And 3-7.1209 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code Regarding Parking Zones and Deleting In Its Entirety Section 3-7.1210 Regarding Taxicab Stands Track Change Revisions to RBMC 3-7.12
• Ord - No. 3280-24 Amending Chapter 7 Article 3, Sections 3-7.1201, 3-7.1203, 3-7.1204, 3-7.1205, 3-7.1206, 3-7.1207, 3-7.1208 And 3-7.1209 of the Redondo Beach Municipal Code Regarding Parking Zones and Deleting In Its Entirety Section 3-7.1210 Regarding Taxicab Stands Track Change Revisions to RBMC 3-7.12 (Redlined)
• Email - RBFD Comments on the Proposed Driveway Parking Permit Program