Elisa Roe nearly crashed her car twice, with her two baby boys in the back seat, since moving to Manhattan Beach earlier this year. The culprits, she said, were oversized parked vehicles that obstructed her vision to see oncoming traffic.
Jeff Murrell, on the other hand, said his livelihood depends on being able to park his oversized vehicle around the neighborhood – his company turns community events green by using solar power. His equipment is stored in recreational vehicles that he wheels out to schools to show kids how solar power works.
Ron Symmes, also an RV owner and 31-year Manhattan Beach resident, said he’s been called “white trash” just because his family loves camping.
Each year, residents complain about oversized vehicles – motor homes, campers, boats and trailers – to the council and the police. Residents say RVs cause a reduced roadway space for drivers, especially on narrow streets. The vehicles occupy multiple parking spots and cause line of sight issues for oncoming traffic at intersections, driveways and near schools, according to a city staff report. RV owners will need to find an rv storage facility.
City Council tried to address such safety concerns Tuesday night by passing, in a 4-0 vote, an ordinance that would prohibit oversized vehicle parking around schools, community centers and parks that have proper signage. Councilmember Richard Montgomery was absent from the meeting.
According to the ordinance, an oversized vehicle is defined as a vehicle or combination of vehicles longer than 22 feet, wider than seven feet or taller than eight feet.
The council agreed this was a suitable option, but still plans to explore other options by holding a community meeting to get more input from the Manhattan Beach RV Owners Association and concerned residents. In the future, the council hopes to implement a permitting system for RV owners, similar to those of neighboring cities.
In Redondo Beach and Santa Monica, a permit is required for overnight parking of oversized vehicles. In Hawthorne and Culver City, there’s no parking for oversized vehicles at any time without a permit, although residents can load and unload for 48 hours without a permit.
“I’m afraid our city could become a de facto designated dumping ground,” said Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Powell, about RV owners who may park in Manhattan Beach overnight due to harsher restrictions in their own neighboring cities. A future permitting system could rectify that, council members agreed.
Currently, there are 160 RVs registered by Manhattan Beach residents, 30 of which regularly park on city streets, said Eve Irvine, chief of Manhattan Beach Police Department.
She added that the city would likely need until February to implement the ordinance – time to give residents and RV owners sufficient notification regarding the new law, as well as time to prepare proper signage, which will cost the city $10,000.
The city will spend an additional $10,000 for signage to be placed around the perimeter of the city that will read that the city prohibits the parking of detached trailers, unless the trailer is being loaded or unloaded for up to eight hours.
