THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409010230
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY BILL REED, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Those who come down to the sea in cars this holiday weekend will find parking at a premium, especially if they don't have hotel reservations.
Basically it will be a case of paying to park, riding public transportation or walking.
And the city has designed it that way.
Seventy more metered spaces were added last month to the 815 already in place along the Oceanfront. The meters are checked 24 hours a day from May 1 through Labor Day weekend. Motorists must shell out 75 cents an hour for the privilege of curbside parking near resort beaches.
Failure to feed the meters on time will bring offenders a $12 fine, if paid within the first 14 calendar days - $24 and more if not paid on time.
Nighttime parking restrictions have been expanded to include an 80-block residential area bordering the resort strip. The ban went into effect Monday and fliers were placed on the windshields of vehicles parked on those streets, warning motorists that violators would soon be ticketed.
Only residents and their guests, who can display valid decals issued by the city, will be able to park their vehicles along these streets from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Decals can be obtained for free until Jan. 1 at the City Treasurer's office.
The city has hired two additional security officers to patrol the restricted areas to enforce the residential parking ban and to ticket meter violators.
Police have been directed to shunt most holiday traffic away from Atlantic Avenue and the Oceanfront and into municipal and private parking lots, which provide 2,645 spaces near the oceanfront. The parking fee paid at municipal lots entitles patrons to a free trolley ride anywhere in the resort district.
Police and the private security officers have been busy all summer cracking down on parking violators.
Since May 1, a total of 13,231 tickets have been issued for parking violations along the Oceanfront and adjacent residential areas, said Henry Ruiz, director of the city's Parking Systems Management office.
``We've issued more tickets this year than we did last year, but I don't have an accurate measure. It's mixed in with police figures,'' he said.
The telephones at Ruiz's office have been busy, especially this last week.
``It's been hectic,'' he said. ``Mostly, there have been inquiries about where to park, where to get decals, how many guests are allowed. . . ''
So far, said Ruiz, the city has issued 357 residential and 352 guest decals, permitting denizens of the restricted areas and their guests to park their vehicles overnight along the curbs outside their front doors.
The city also has issued more than 300 business passes, which allows employees of resort inns, restaurants and shops to park in the restricted residential areas while they go to work at night.
Along with the bad news about restrictions and police crackdowns, Ruiz offers some good news. Revenue generated by the city's parking meter program has grossed $396,000 this year. That's $35,000 more than in 1993.
The money will be plowed back into other planned parking improvements along the resort strip, for instance: more municipal lots and perhaps a high-rise parking garage or two.
It's all part of a long-range strategy to wean motorists away from the traffic clogged Oceanfront and coax them into satellite parking lots. ILLUSTRATION: Staff Graphic
Festival Parking
For copy of graphic, see microfilm
by CNB