Solutions Found for Parking Big Rigs in Simi Valley

They are gratingly noisy and, boy, do they smell. They also bring most food, electronics, toys, and so much more to Simi Valley.

Big trucks: can’t live with ‘em; can’t live without ‘em.

But you can control where they park. That is what the City Council took a step toward doing Monday night, after residents complained that big rigs resting in residential areas sapped parking spaces and hampered the quality of life.

Residents who live near Eileen, Winifred and Valley Fair streets have requested for months that 18-wheeler parking be restricted in that area.

Truckers, on the other hand, want a safe place to park that is close to the freeway.

After eyeing six possible sites throughout the city for large truck parking, council members asked city staff to prepare ordinances allowing some parking on Madera Road and on Surveyor Avenue, Mercury Place and Voyager Avenue. The council is scheduled to consider the new ordinances within two weeks. The new rules would take effect 31 days after council approval.

Under the new laws, parking for big trucks would be allowed on the west side of Madera Road north of the Ronald Reagan Freeway between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. all week. Both sides of Madera are currently posted “No Parking Anytime.”

Truck parking would also be permitted nights and weekends on Surveyor, Mercury and Voyager, which are now posted “No Parking Anytime.” New signs would prohibit parking weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

To address concerns of residents in the Eileen Street area, parking would be restricted for vehicles taller than 6 feet.

Council members will continue to look into the feasibility of parking big rigs at the landfill north of the freeway at Madera.

Landfill operators are open to that possibility, said City Manager Mike Sedell. “But it’s something they would want to be compensated for.”