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Home My WebLink AboutItem 3a: Introduce Ordinance No. 2265 - Early Morning Parking HoursIerorporet A AuYUrt 3, 19D3 STAFF REPORT Police Department DATE: December 1, 2009 TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council FROM: Robert P. Sanderson, Chief of Police Vk Prepared by: Nancy Chik, Senior Management Analyst SUBJECT: Ordinance No 2265 Amending Section 3214.1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code Relating to the Uniform Traffic Ordinance Concerning Early Morning Parkinq Hours Recommendation: Introduce SUMMARY The Police Department recommends amending Section 3214.1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code relating to the Uniform Traffic Ordinance. This change will amend the overnight parking restrictions from between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. BACKGROUND The City of Arcadia has prohibited parking of vehicles on City streets for over 45 years, and prior to February 2008, the hours of restriction were from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. At the February 5, 2008, City Council meeting, the Council adopted Ordinance 2236 amending Section 3214.1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code relating to the Uniform Traffic Ordinance. The amendment changed the hours of overnight parking prohibition from 3:00 a.m. through 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. through 5:00 a.m. The decision to reduce the hours of prohibited overnight parking was made after consideration of a complaint made that residents are leaving for work earlier in the morning due to commute times or other reasons. Although the complaint was received by one resident, the belief was that other residents could be inconvenienced under similar circumstances. The intent in changing the ordinance was to prevent this occurrence from happening; however, over the course of the past 21 months since the reduction of the prohibited overnight parking hour restriction, unintended consequences have resulted. The Police Department conducts overnight parking enforcement primarily through the contracted services of Inter -Con Security Services. Two Inter -Con parking control officers are assigned to an eight -hour shift each night in an attempt to cover the entire City to enforce the overnight parking restrictions. The parking control officers serve multiple purposes while conducting parking enforcement activities. They check vehicles parked on City streets to determine if they have an annual overnight parking permit or a temporary overnight parking permit issued by the City. If a vehicle is found parked on the street during prohibited hours without a permit, the vehicle is issued a parking citation for the overnight parking violation pursuant to Arcadia Municipal Code Section 3214.1. Additionally, the parking control officer may conduct DMV registration checks to determine if the vehicles are local. If a vehicle is from out of town, it could simply be a visitor staying overnight or it could be a vehicle used by persons committing crimes in the area. In such instances, the parking control officer would alert a police officer to the suspicious vehicle for further investigation. Parking control officers also ensure that parked vehicles are not left abandoned on City streets and their enforcement ensures the streets remain unencumbered for street sweeping purposes. In high density areas characterized by apartment complexes or condominium units, available parking space is also limited and the issuance of annual parking permits helps to regulate the total number of vehicles allowed to park on those streets. This not only helps to maintain the aesthetics of the neighborhoods, but it also helps to provide easier access for emergency vehicles during nighttime emergencies. DISCUSSION Prior to the reduction of the prohibited hours of overnight parking in February of 2008, Inter -Con parking control officers were able to consistently provide proactive enforcement and review of parked vehicles throughout the City on a nightly basis. Parking control officers estimate that the one -third reduction of enforcement time results in approximately 250 vehicles per month that are in violation of the ordinance or may be involved in suspicious activity that officers do not have the time to inspect. Department statistics depicting the number of parking citations issued from 2007 - 2008 -2009 confirm this estimation (Attachment A). Arcadia Police crime statistics also indicate that from January 2009 through September 2009, there were 248 automobile burglaries (forced entry) reported. Sixty -one percent of these burglaries occurred during overnight hours. It is common for burglars to park their vehicle and walk around neighborhoods looking for vehicles to break into and steal the contents therein. In the same time period, 116 thefts from unlocked automobiles were reported; 38% occurred during overnight hours. The City Council conducted a study session regarding the overnight parking hours on November 17. The Council believed that a three -hour restricted parking period was needed due in part to the large number of auto burglaries occurring during the overnight hours. Therefore, the Department recommends increasing the overnight parking restrictions to three hours, from 2:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. This new time restriction takes into consideration that residents may have to leave earlier for work, and it will also allow the parking control officers to conduct proactive enforcement throughout the City on a nightly basis. The Police Department also believes that there is an issue of fairness for the thousands of residents who follow the law and obtain annual or temporary permits to know that the 8,600 vehicles parked overnight on City streets without permits receive consistent and uniformed enforcement. A survey of 16 San Gabriel Valley cities' overnight parking ordinances indicate that overnight parking restrictions range from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. with a three -hour restriction being the average number of hours enacted for restricted overnight parking (Attachment B). Based on the above recommended change, the section pertaining to the overnight parking restrictions in the municipal code will read as follows: "3214.1 Section 11.9. Early Morning Parking Prohibited. No person shall park any vehicle of a maximum gross weight limit of six thousand (6,000) pounds or less on any street between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on any day." FISCAL IMPACT Based upon the current rate of enforcement and the estimated number of vehicles that are unpermitted that could be reached and enforced if the third hour was reinstated, the additional revenue generated could be as high as $140,000 on an annual basis. Additionally, there will be a nominal cost to change the hours on the posted signs in the City to reflect the new hours and to change the annual parking permit application information. RECOMMENDATION Introduce Ordinance No. 2265 amending Section 3214.1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code Relating to the Uniform Traffic Ordinance Concerning Early Morning Parking Hours. Approved: Don Penman, City Manager Q H Z W U Q Q 0 0 0 0 0 0 N N N jagwaoap JagwanON jagOlOO Jagwaldag U lsn6nV L L.1. Ajnr C) C) N 00 aunt C) N Aeyy 1 0 CD N IpdV 4aieW tieruga tienuer cl g to ° ATTACHMENT B San Gabriel Valley Hours of Overnight Parking Restriction CITY HOURS Alhambra 2am to 6am Azusa No Restriction Covina 2am to 4am Duarte 3am to 6am El Monte No Restriction Glendora 2am to 4am La Puente 4am to 6am La Verne 2am to 5am Monrovia No Restriction Pasadena 2am to 6am San Dimas 2am to 5am San Gabriel 2am to 6am San Marino 2am to 5am Sierra Madre 2am to 6am South Pasadena 2am to 6am Tem le City 3am to 5am ORDINANCE NO. 2265 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, AMENDING SECTION 3214.1 OF THE ARCADIA MUNICIPAL CODE RELATING TO THE UNIFORM TRAFFIC ORDINANCE CONCERNING EARLY MORNING PARKING HOURS THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA, DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 3214.1 of the Arcadia Municipal Code is hereby amended to read in its entirety as follows: "3214.1. SECTION 11.9 ADDED. To Article XI of said Uniform Traffic Ordinance is added a new Section 11.9, as follows: 11.9. Early Morning Parking Prohibited. No person shall park any vehicle of a maximum gross weight limit of six thousand (6,000) pounds or less on any street between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on any day." SECTION 2. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Ordinance and shall cause a copy of same to be published in the official newspaper of the City within fifteen (15) days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall take effect on the thirty -first (31') day following its adoption. [SIGNATURES ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE] 1 Passed, approved and adopted this day of , 2009. Mayor of the City of Arcadia ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: Stephen P. Deitsch City Attorney 2