Temporary Parking Solution Proposed for Mount Rubidoux

Temporary parking solution proposed for Mount Rubidoux

10:47 AM PDT on Tuesday, August 3, 2010

By LAURIE LUCAS
The Press-Enterprise

After an uproar from Riverside residents whose neighborhood at the base of MountRubidoux's main Ninth Street gate has become a traffic nightmare and trash dumping ground, their City Council representative has promised a temporary parking solution.

Councilman Mike Gardner, whose Ward 1 includes the area, said the long-term remedy is the creation of 350 parking spaces when the city's proposed 40-acre TesquesquitePark is completed in 18 months.

When that distant goal received a chilly reception at a community meeting Monday at City Hall, Gardner said he would work with the Planning Commission to pursue temporary parking at the Tesquesquite site. Gardner said it is a safe bet that the City Council will approve the measure.

Kurt Miller/The Press-Enterprise

Downtown Riverside appears in the background as Jacquelyn Medina, left, and Loren Ferard, right, and Bailey the dog, make their way down MountRubidoux this past January.

The group of residents presented a petition with 60 signatures, mostly from Redwood Avenue and Ninth Street residents, to the city's Public Works Department to establish a preferential parking zone, which they hope would deter the hundreds of people who park on their streets, then head up Mount Rubidoux.

Once a temporary parking lot is available, Gardner said, residents could apply for preferential parking permits.

MountRubidouxPark has no designated parking.

One of the neighborhood activists, Frances Fernandes, recited a litany of complaints culled from residents: Visitors urinate and defecate in residents' yards because the park lacks toilets; they dump trash including spoiled food and soiled diapers in yards and streets; they trample plants, block driveways, steal property, damage cars, break sprinklers, sunbathe and picnic on their lawns. A hit-and-run accident mowed down two dogs, she said.

Among other ideas Gardner said he will investigate:

Transport walkers via trolleys from a downtown location.

Promote other locations to walkers, such as Pachappa Hill and SycamoreCanyon.

Charge fees for organized groups of walkers.

Paint more curbs red to discourage parking.

Increase enforcement of park closing at night.

Close the park from midnight Friday to midnight Sunday.

Reach Laurie Lucas at 951-369-9569 or