During this election season, which will culminate in the Nov. 3 vote, the Herald has asked the Long Beach City Council candidates for their view on topics of concern to residents. This is the first in a series of questions we have posed to the six candidates who are vying for three seats on the Council.
Comments aout this Q&A? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
What areas have the most pressing parking issues, and how would you correct them?
The following three Democrats are running on the Democratic line
Fran Adelson
Parking issues in Long Beach are not confined to one neighborhood. To improve the situation, we need to encourage the use of parking facilities that are available.
During the past several years the Republican administration has allowed fences to go around parking lots preventing their use by the public. On Shore Road, by the Superblock, an entire street of parking spaces has been fenced off even though there is no progress on the Superblock. On Long Beach Boulevard and Walnut Street, the fence around the municipal lot has been replaced with a white plastic fence, hiding the fact that it is a municipal lot. The city has failed to put any signs on the fence advising that this is public parking. If the city would encourage merchants on the block to park in the lot, more spaces would be available for shoppers creating a win-win situation.
The city should create and publish a map of all public lots and let the residents know when the parking garage at the train station is available for free. The city should partner with the owners of lots that have been vacant for years to create more resident parking. Enforcement of the parking regulations already in place will alleviate the amount of cars parked for unreasonable amounts of time.
Mike Fagen
The parking problem in Long Beach is just another issue which the Republicans have tried to buy their way out of. By spending tens of thousands of dollars on parking consultants to determine that there is a parking problem in the City of Long Beach, the Republican administration has confirmed that they do not understand the issue.
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