Letters to the Editor: Say we eliminate parking minimums. What about handicap spaces?

To the editor: Interesting article by Michael Schneider on abolishing minimum parking requirements for commercial and multifamily residential projects. However, there’s one caveat to keep in mind.

Accessible parking requirements for people with disabilities are tied to the number of spaces provided on a project. If you reduce or eliminate the number of parking spaces in a project, you will end up with less or no parking for people with disabilities.

Careful consideration should be given to ensure that our disabled citizens have a place to park.

Winston Ward, Redlands

The writer is assistant director of community development and building official for the city of Chino Hills.

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To the editor: People can whine about cars and parking requirements from today until tomorrow, but folks will always be driving in Los Angeles, and there will always be parking.

I for one would like the sidewalks to be given back to the folks who lost them during the pandemic. How about giving the publicly owned sidewalks back to taxpaying pedestrians before they are completely taken over by restaurants and scooters?

Our aging population needs clear, clean and safe sidewalks. How about doing that?

Peter David Harris, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Assembly Bill 2097, which abolished all parking minimums near mass transit stops, may work for larger cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. But it does not work in smaller areas.

Decisions are being made at the state level that cater to large cities. Many housing and parking decisions do not take into account the unique qualities of individual cities, thus usurping local control and changing the ambiance and desirability of many smaller communities and harming tourism.

The leadership in Sacramento needs to stop using one-size-fits-all solutions to our housing needs.

Carol Spector, Ventura

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To the editor: Yes, parking spaces are a sad waste of space that could be put to much better use. Planting space for trees and shrubs. Parks. Playgrounds.

But until we get serious about effective and efficient (not to mention convenient and inexpensive) mass transit, we’re putting the cart before the horse.

Alison M. Grimes, Yorba Linda