The Gold Line extension into the San Gabriel Valley has quickly become more popular than many thought it would be. Ridership numbers are far beyond what Metro expected, and so soon after the extension's March 5 opening. And parking at structures at the two Azusa stations at the end of the line has been really popular too.
Unfortunately, that means that lots of people can't find spots; the Azusa parking garages are often full by 7 a.m. ("or earlier," says The Source) on weekdays. Some drivers have tried to get crafty with their parking and, as a result, they've been keeping the Azusa police busy writing tickets—there were 131 warnings issued in the three weeks following the March opening of the line, then, in the last month, 101 tickets, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports. "[T]he Target store across the street has towed 52 vehicles from their lot" since the line started running.
Car commuters who haven't scored a sweet, illegal spot in the Target lot have taken to parking on the neighborhood's residential streets, which has irked the people who live there, who claim they can no longer find parking on their own block. So, in response to all of this, the city is moving to put some new parking rules into play. Azusa's city council is expected to approve rules today that would limit parking on streets around the downtown Azusa station to three hours and create a permit parking zone nearby.
Even with those new rules, there won't be instant changes in the way Metro riders park. Azusa officials estimate "the new parking signs could take two months to design, fabricate and install," and there would be a 60-day grace period in the future permit parking zone when warnings, not tickets, would be issued to non-permitted drivers. So there's at least time for Gold Line riders to figure out how they're going to park.
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