Parking Crunch Hits New Light Rail Station

Commuters taking the newly extended Gold Line light rail from the station in Azusa westward toward Pasadena and Los Angeles have overrun the limited number of parking spaces at the station, creating a parking headache for residents and the city. Courtney Tompkins reports in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that city officials are responding to citizen complaints with new on-street parking restrictions for an area surrounding the Downtown Azusa station, however most restrictions and penalties won't be enforced for several more months as new parking signs are manufactured and parking enforcement carries out a 60-day warning period. In the interim, parking problems will likely continue.

In the past month, police issued 101 citations. And so far, the Target store across the street has towed 52 vehicles from their lot. Public Works Director Daniel Bobadilla said the city receives dozens of calls from residents each week complaining about the lack of parking on their streets.

The city is working with Metro to try to identify solutions to the parking crunch, including providing an app that would direct commuters to other stations with more available parking and finding additional space near the Downtown station for more parking.