Residents in an affluent coastal community clashed this week over new parking rules in a neighborhood designed to cut down on traffic and what some say is an influx of trash left behind by thoughtless visitors.
Some Rancho Palos Verdes residents are unhappy with the growing number of visitors trekking through the neighborhood's Del Cerro Park, a popular destination with picturesque views of the Pacific Ocean, bringing with them traffic and leaving behind trash.
After hearing residents' complaints, city leaders on Tuesday agreed to prohibit parking on one side of Crenshaw Boulevard and allow only homeowners to park on residential streets.
"We see people leaving trash, used empty food containers, dirty diapers," said Kathy Edgerton, a Del Cerro Homeowners Association board member. "They'll stand in the middle of the street, chat, let their dogs and kids out of the car without any control."
Residents don't like the cars parked on Crenshaw Boulevard, the empty alcohol bottles and cans and graffiti.
The new rule restricing where visitors can park is a victory for Rancho Palos Verdes residents.
But some who visit the neighborhood to enjoy its parks and trails are not happy.
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"To paint [the streets] all red and not give everyone else access to a beautiful place like this is not fair," said visitor Alana Martinez.
Edgerton says it's all about respect for the people who live in the neighborhood.
"Just respect that we are a neighborhood," Edgerton said. "And up until now it's been a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood."
