Parker Dreamin
12-14-2006, 07:54 AM
Torrance City Council approves fee structure for RV parking
To load and unload on the street, residents will pay $25 for one-time registration and $10 daily. Package deals also will be offered.
By Kristin S. Agostoni
DAILY BREEZE
The owners of recreational vehicles, trailers and other oversized rigs in Torrance will be pulling out their wallets next summer for the privilege of parking curbside.
Capping a 2-year-old debate over RV regulations, the City Council on Tuesday approved permit fees for residents wanting to park temporarily on city streets, along with a one-time registration cost of $25. Nonresidents won't be able to park their rigs on Torrance streets without a resident sponsor -- a rule the city crafted as parking complaints mounted.
The same problem has dogged communities around the South Bay, and Hawthorne and Los Angeles have followed suit with their own RV regulations.
In Torrance, RV owners with driveways and storage spots aren't necessarily required to register their rides, but those who pull onto the street to load and unload at least five times a year would save money by doing so.
That's because a resident who registers an RV and buys a package with 24 one-day street parking permits would pay $45, while single daily permits would cost $10 apiece.
The rates, which will come back for final council approval next week, would go into effect in July, said transportation planner Ted Semaan. Vehicles can be registered as soon as the fees are set.
"These types of programs aren't money-generating programs," Mayor Frank Scotto said afterward. "It's not to penalize people. ... I think it's extremely reasonable to expect someone to pay less than a dollar a day to park."
Some of the fees approved Tuesday dipped slightly from those recommended in a staff report, and council members approved reduced rates for low-income residents.
Yet many RV owners turned up to complain, arguing they shouldn't have to pay to park for a day -- even a couple of hours -- while they're cleaning and packing their motor homes.
"I'll pay because I have to hook my car up" to a trailer, said resident Ron Waller, who has owned either an RV, trailer or motor home since 1969.
"I don't think it's fair for 15 or 20 minutes," he added. "It's going to cost me $45, and I can afford it, it's just the principle of the thing."
Others said they'll refuse to pay for parking permits, even with the threat of being cited or towed. One man called the rules "restrictive" and "complicated," and questioned whether the city had raised the fees to cover more than just administrative costs.
A staff report indicates the permit packages -- some of which were $10 higher than the ones the council ultimately approved -- could generate $112,500 annually. The city's cost to administer the program was estimated at $95,000 to $117,000.
The staff will also reassess the fees at the end of 2007, Semaan said.
Resident Newt Young called the rates "generous," possibly even too low.
"There's going to be an enforcement problem. These people aren't going to comply," said Young, who doesn't own an RV. "It may be too lenient."
The great motor home debate has gripped Torrance for at least two years.
In December 2004, with parking concerns mounting, the city held a public meeting to find ways to ensure RVs don't overstay their welcome. After several more meetings, the council in August finally signed off on a citywide system allowing vehicles without registration stickers to be cited, towed or both for parking on the streets.
Citation rates are still being set.
Each RV owner will be allowed up to 96 permits per year, not to exceed 24 per quarter or three consecutive days.
Emergency and service vehicles will be exempt. And Torrance residents who decide to host RV-driving guests from other cities will be able to apply for as many as 30 daily permits in a year, not to be used on more than 14 consecutive days.
Find this article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/4913396.html
To load and unload on the street, residents will pay $25 for one-time registration and $10 daily. Package deals also will be offered.
By Kristin S. Agostoni
DAILY BREEZE
The owners of recreational vehicles, trailers and other oversized rigs in Torrance will be pulling out their wallets next summer for the privilege of parking curbside.
Capping a 2-year-old debate over RV regulations, the City Council on Tuesday approved permit fees for residents wanting to park temporarily on city streets, along with a one-time registration cost of $25. Nonresidents won't be able to park their rigs on Torrance streets without a resident sponsor -- a rule the city crafted as parking complaints mounted.
The same problem has dogged communities around the South Bay, and Hawthorne and Los Angeles have followed suit with their own RV regulations.
In Torrance, RV owners with driveways and storage spots aren't necessarily required to register their rides, but those who pull onto the street to load and unload at least five times a year would save money by doing so.
That's because a resident who registers an RV and buys a package with 24 one-day street parking permits would pay $45, while single daily permits would cost $10 apiece.
The rates, which will come back for final council approval next week, would go into effect in July, said transportation planner Ted Semaan. Vehicles can be registered as soon as the fees are set.
"These types of programs aren't money-generating programs," Mayor Frank Scotto said afterward. "It's not to penalize people. ... I think it's extremely reasonable to expect someone to pay less than a dollar a day to park."
Some of the fees approved Tuesday dipped slightly from those recommended in a staff report, and council members approved reduced rates for low-income residents.
Yet many RV owners turned up to complain, arguing they shouldn't have to pay to park for a day -- even a couple of hours -- while they're cleaning and packing their motor homes.
"I'll pay because I have to hook my car up" to a trailer, said resident Ron Waller, who has owned either an RV, trailer or motor home since 1969.
"I don't think it's fair for 15 or 20 minutes," he added. "It's going to cost me $45, and I can afford it, it's just the principle of the thing."
Others said they'll refuse to pay for parking permits, even with the threat of being cited or towed. One man called the rules "restrictive" and "complicated," and questioned whether the city had raised the fees to cover more than just administrative costs.
A staff report indicates the permit packages -- some of which were $10 higher than the ones the council ultimately approved -- could generate $112,500 annually. The city's cost to administer the program was estimated at $95,000 to $117,000.
The staff will also reassess the fees at the end of 2007, Semaan said.
Resident Newt Young called the rates "generous," possibly even too low.
"There's going to be an enforcement problem. These people aren't going to comply," said Young, who doesn't own an RV. "It may be too lenient."
The great motor home debate has gripped Torrance for at least two years.
In December 2004, with parking concerns mounting, the city held a public meeting to find ways to ensure RVs don't overstay their welcome. After several more meetings, the council in August finally signed off on a citywide system allowing vehicles without registration stickers to be cited, towed or both for parking on the streets.
Citation rates are still being set.
Each RV owner will be allowed up to 96 permits per year, not to exceed 24 per quarter or three consecutive days.
Emergency and service vehicles will be exempt. And Torrance residents who decide to host RV-driving guests from other cities will be able to apply for as many as 30 daily permits in a year, not to be used on more than 14 consecutive days.
Find this article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/4913396.html