I’ve been living at this address for four years. Our neighbors
across the street on Broadway Street are two old ladies who always
complain about people parking in front of their house.
“I’ve been living at this address for four years. Our neighbors across the street on Broadway Street are two old ladies who always complain about people parking in front of their house. They used to scream and yell at us when we parked on their side of the road. Recently she has fought with all the neighbors. When she is out watering, she will water the cars. We’ve called the cops many times and don’t know what else to do.”
and …
“In my neighborhood, there are a few houses in which I feel unsafe to leave my vehicle in front of. They come out of their house to look at me or they say ‘I wouldn’t park there if I were you.’ Is parking on the street in front of one’s home against the law? Is it their property or the city’s?”
Red Phone: Dear Parking By The Book, Looks like the term “not letting grass grow under your wheels” takes on a whole new meaning on Broadway Street.
But civility should be the tone of the day. Nobody owns the parking space in front of his or her house, and none of your neighbors can tell you where or where not to park as long as you are not blocking their driveways.
“The street parking is first-come, first-served,” said Gilroy Police Community Service Officer Gary Muraoka. “It is not against the law to park in front of another person’s house.”
Since the curbs are city property, people are free to park wherever they want on the street as long as they move their car every 72 hours. And, yes, this may mean parking a block or two away occasionally.
The police have been to Broadway Street but haven’t found any violations, Muraoka said.
“When people frequently call in to constantly complain, I do give their complaints a more critical look,” Muraoka said. “Is there actually a violation of an abandoned vehicle or is the complaint just being motivated by ill will from a bad neighbor? I have received several complaints about the location on Broadway, and there have been several times where no action was taken because there were no violations.”
If you receive threats against you or your property, call police at 846-0300.
Slow down in the city
“I am a frustrated mother who is sick and tired of people speeding on Westwood Drive. I have made a complaint and still nothing has been done about it. What is it going to take for the police to finally take action of this problem?”
and …
“For the person who wants a stop sign on Third Street, forget it. We have three stop signs on Mesa Road. The Gavilan College kids are driving just too fast to see them and don’t stop.”
Red Phone: Dear Speed Kills, Unfortunately, people will try to save time by zipping through the city at high speeds. But saving a few minutes of time is not worth the risk of getting into an accident. Not to mention the steep speeding ticket that starts around $146 for the first 15 mph over the limit. If you are 16 to 25 mph over, the fine is $266 and over 26 mph, it is $380. In addition, your insurance premiums could shoot up.
The police have been using a radar trailer on the south portion of Westward Drive to try to deter speeders, said Traffic Officer Nestor Quinones.
People do speed on Mesa Road, but most are actually not Gavilan students, Quinones said.
“I have worked this area, and 90 percent of the people cited on Mesa Road are the residents that live in the neighborhood,” he said.
The best way to report a traffic problem in your neighborhood is to go to the City of Gilroy Web site at www.cityofgilroy.org and click on “Police” under “City Hall” and then “File a Traffic/Parking complaint”.
