Fryman Canyon Hikers Who Park on Street Irk Residents

Living near a popular hiking destination has its disadvantages for residents of the and trail area who are fed up with parking and other problems in their Studio City neighborhood, particularly on Iredell Lane.

Residents say they are exasperated with hikers avoiding the $3 parking fee at a Wilacre lot and parking on the area's small streets, blocking neighbors and crowding the area.

According to Fiona Hutton, an Iredell resident for two years, "It's an accident waiting to happen. People walk the streets five in a line and bang on my car when I try to drive by. I almost hit someone the other day when he crossed the street without looking."

In a special meeting on Wednesday night, after six residents of Iredell spoke during the public comments part of the meeting, the Studio City Neighborhood Council unanimously approved a motion requesting immediate inclusion into the preferred parking district 111. A representative from Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian's office also attended the meeting, and spoke to the residents after the decision. The residents have considered Krekorian's office unresponsive to their requests, and Patch was not allowed to listen to the office's comments to the residents.

The Santa Monica Conservancy runs a parking area at Wilacre that used be free,  but then it changed to $1 and then to $3.

"That is when the parking problems started and people started parking on the street," said another resident, Katie Asch. "Just yesterday a neighbor on her street had an accident backing out of the driveway because of vehicles blocking their view. You just can't see out. There are more cars there and it provides cover for break-ins of homes and  vehicles during the day."  If she leaves her car unlocked it is ransacked.

Senior Lead Officer Mike Lewis of the Los Angeles Police Department told the neighborhood council, "I think the Santa Monica Conservancy should rethink charging the fee per car, it has been such a problem for us. Thieves are driving by looking for people leaving their car for an hour hike and break in to get a wallet or purse and have time to charge up a bunch of credit cards while you're on a hike."

Only five segments can be designated temporary preferentially permitted according to the city codes and they can not add any more sections unless the parking on the streets become permanent permitted sections. This is not happening now because the Department of Transportation has no money.

"So the issue is, people are using the park but not supporting the park by paying the fees," said Hutton. "There are public safety issues. You can't get out of your own street, people are urinating on our lawns, leaving trash and diapers, near head-on collisions around the bend, firetrucks can't get in, people are walking with earphones down the middle of the road, and kids and dogs are darting back and forth."

The residents continue to put pressure on Krekorian's office, sending letters to  find some type of variance, and getting the help of the neighborhood council. The residents letters say: "We want everyone to enjoy the park, but they need to support the park. Parking enforcement has to tow away cars continually.  It's gotten out of control. Not only is it a nuisance, it is a public street in a fire-prone area."

Dash Stolarz who is the director of public relations for the state Mountain Recreation Conservation Authority said,  "We are very sympathetic to the residents, but they can never fence off or close a park because it belongs to the people." She encourages people who frequent the park to purchase the $100 annual pass for unlimited parking in the lot and to be respectful of the residents.

A quarter of a century ago there was a huge effort by residents to save this area from being developed.

"We bought a house understanding this is our back yard," Hutton said. "I don't expect them to close the park, I just expect them to help us fix these problems. The Los Angeles Police Department could intervene as they patrol and ask people to walk single file or ticket those who are parked wrong."

Lewis said his area is getting more car break-ins than anywhere in the North Hollywood division because of the street parking, and "some of the signage is unclear, and so it is hard to ticket people then."

Some of the suggestions to solve the problem are:

• Some type of public outreach program throughout the Santa Monica Conservancy and the park rangers. 
• If the conservancy can close the gate and have people loop around and not go through the residential areas so as to not park there.
• Changing the parking fee back to $1, or free.

(Mike Szymanski contributed to this report.)