It’s no secret public parking in Los Feliz is limited, often making it impossible to find a spot. A new red curb has added to that frustration, limiting residents in an already difficult area.
“The parking situation here is a commodity. It's really tough, especially on this street," said Emmanuel de la Vega, who lives in the area. "It’s a popular area; a lot of apartments and homes."
Recently, a portion of Franklin Avenue near Winona Boulevard was painted red by the City of Los Angeles – stretching about 100 feet.
“It’s not just RVs that park on Franklin because not all of the units on this block have designated parking,” said Ericka Herme, who lives in the area. She added, “It’s something people need -- access to parking.”
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On Wednesday, a Los Angeles city worker came out to take measurements of the red curb and confirmed the recent change on the street was intentional, but would not elaborate. An upset neighbor who did not want to be identified shared a portion of a recent email she got from the city about the issue:
“DOT informed us that the additional red curb installed throughout the corridor was requested from one of the Transportation Commissioners and is designed to help the visibility of pedestrians crossing Franklin from the south side.”
NBC4 reached out to the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Transportation, but it's only response was that it would get back to us. Several neighbors said it was a way to push out RV parking.
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“RVs park on Franklin on occasion, and it would be that the people don’t want them living outside their front door, which I understand,” said Herme.
Others said another curb on the same street was also painted red by the city, making enforcement even stricter.
“People put out interesting stuff outside their area to save spots. It’s aggressive out here,” said another neighbor, Patrick Chavarria.
The office of Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, who represents District 44, told NBC4 that $4 million will be spent to make improvements to the Griffith Park area, which will include a crosswalk on Franklin Avenue and Winona Boulevard. The red curb on Franklin Avenue is not part of those changes, however.
