It was a packed town hall in Descanso where community members voiced their concerns over a new proposal to change parking along a vital stretch of State Route 79, including in front of Descanso Junction Restaurant. Among them was longtime resident Skosh Cauthon.
"I worked at the Junction for 13 years and lived up here for 40," she told me. "I've seen several people die out front.”
During the town hall meeting on Thursday in Descanso, Caltrans presented a new format for parallel parking over safety concerns.
In a recent statement, the agency said, in part:
"Caltrans has determined that the appropriate enhancement is parallel parking. The proposed parallel parking spaces for this area are 8’ wide by 24’ long. The existing perpendicular parking spaces are within the Clear Recovery Zone (CRZ) and will need to be reconfigured to sit within the remaining 8’ available. The CRZ is a safety standard that affords drivers of errant vehicles the opportunity to regain control."
Caltrans also stated parking is not allowed on the shoulders of State Routes, except in emergency situations, which includes the stretch of 79 where multiple Descanso businesses are located.
The latest move would reduce the roughly 20 perpendicular spots on this stretch to about six out front of the Descanso Junction.
Many people who live in the area don't believe it's viable.
"It's not gonna work because right now the place gets busy after 6 p.m.," Cauthon says. "That's what owners Tammy and Brett have built their life on: Catering to the community."
Back in February, we spoke to Descanso Junction owner, Brett Cooker, who shared how detrimental removing any parking would be for local businesses.
"That's a lot of customers that aren't gonna be able to stop and eat, and it's really gonna affect not just our business, John's business, Barbie's business, but all these businesses," says Cooker.
The sentiment remains unchanged months later.
"I'd like to think that they want this to work for us, but common sense would just tell anyone it's not gonna drive those businesses," he says. "We will be out of business if they do what they’re gonna do.”
There were initial discussions for no parking along the SR-79 back in February. Despite the latest effort from Caltrans to find common ground and keep some parking, some residents say it's just not good enough.
"Just leave our parking alone. That's just not enough," says Cauthon.
No date is set for these proposed changes to go into effect. Caltrans has said it will continue discussions with locals in the area, who are hoping for the best.
"I think we might be able to find some common ground. This whole thing is just kinda disheartening that we're even at this point, but I think they might’ve heard some of our concerns, and maybe we’ll get somewhere. I hope so," says Cooker.
