Hermosa Beach Hurt by Parking Problems

The parking situation in Hermosa Beach is horrendous! The city of Hermosa Beach requires that you purchase a parking permit in order to park on the street. Without a parking permit, you will be ticketed. This limits parking. You may park your vehicle between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. without a parking permit; however, you must move it every hour. You may also park between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. without a permit, but after 2 a.m. you will be ticketed if you do not have a permit. This limits overnight parking for those without permits. There are parking meters, if you want to throw in a quarter every half hour. If you have a parking permit, you may park at these meters without paying, but only for 72 consecutive hours. In order to receive a parking permit, you must be a resident of Hermosa Beach. So, if you are visiting a friend, don’t drive; there is nowhere for you to park!

And those parking meters . . . who wants a parking meter in front of their home? If I spent a million dollars on my beach property, I would not want parking meters lining the front of my house.

The city should limit parking permits to the public parking lots they have. People would find parking their cars much easier. People are deterred from the finer points of Hermosa Beach because they know they cannot park their cars anywhere unless they have a parking permit. Parking in Hermosa Beach is a great hassle and unfortunately, the pleasantness of the city is overshadowed by something as trivial as finding a place to park.

REBECCA YAO

Hermosa Beach