All's fair in Fair-time parking All's fair in Fair-time parking (July 02, 2004)

Neighborhoods decide on parking restrictions
by Teresa C. Brown

While the Alameda County Fair brings smiles to fairgoers' faces, some of the neighbors are not smiling.

For the two-week period during the Fair, parking along the surrounding streets of Pleasanton Avenue, Angela, Rose, St. Mary, Division, Harrison and Augustine is restricted.

Some are designated as "no parking around the clock," while others allow parking only between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m.

"If we have company - and we have a tremendous amount of company that comes to our house - when (restricted parking) happens, there's no place for them to park on the street," said Margene Rivara, who lives three blocks from the Fairgrounds.

She recalled wanting to have a party recently for a former pastor of her church who was visiting. "We didn't have it in our home because of parking."

The parking restrictions, while they seem to punish the residents, were put in place at their request, said Mike Tassano, associate traffic engineer for the city.

In 1988, area residents voted to restrict parking, endorsing a sentiment that allowing no one to park on the streets was better than having fairgoers parking in front of the residences.

Neighborhood streets at that time were inundated with fairgoers parking in front of nearby homes, said Tassano. The residents grew weary from the traffic and noise of the fair-goers arriving and leaving throughout the day and into the evening.

"Neighbors agreed to have the parking restriction put in place," he said.

Permit parking was not an option, he said, explaining that a two-week period is not long enough for people to learn about the parking restrictions. When people see cars parked along the street, they may automatically assume parking is permitted.

Also, permit parking would be difficult for the police to enforce, he said.

However, a process was also established that enables neighborhoods to decide if they would rather have parking allowed during the Fair, Tassano said. If a neighborhood, even as small as one block for most areas, wants to have the restrictions removed, residents only need to present a petition with a majority of the neighbors' signatures requesting the restriction removal.

In spite of neighbors feeling the pinch of no-parking streets, Tassano said, "We do it for the residents' convenience."

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