Permit parking system to be implemented in Golden neighborhood
It was a quiet Labor Day on Parfet Estates Drive in Golden, but residents say the street usually gets a lot more crowded. Cars parked all over the right side of the street can effectively turn the two-lane road into one, creating some safety concerns in the process.
"We have expanded permit parking over the years," Mayor Laura Weinberg said at a city council meeting last week. "We haven't necessarily done it on consent."
CBS Colorado spoke to multiple homeowners on the street, who asked not to go on camera, but wanted to voice their concerns all the same. The root of the issue comes from what they say is a lack of parking infrastructure at Colorado School of Mines, and many students and faculty opting to park for free in residential neighborhoods rather than pay to park on campus.
New buildings in the area, including student housing, have also led workers on site to park on the street. The issue isn't so much the amount of cars on the street, residents say, but a specific blind turn at the intersection of Yucca Court And Parfet Estates Dr.
When cars are parked up to the right side of the road, it can create even more visibility issues in a cul-de-sac, where children typically congregate outside, and cars are prone to driving faster than the speed limit.
"We did observe particularly staff parking up on Parfet Estates last year," city employee Sarah Vaine said during the same council meeting. "When you start putting in permit parking it's like squeezing a balloon, and you just kind of move things around."
The latter concern was echoed among some residents on the far side of the neighborhood who are less affected by the traffic. They explained to CBS Colorado that the problem isn't solved by permits, instead shifting rather than working with School of Mines to address the needs of a growing student and faculty population.
Residents in favor of the permits hope that it cuts down the traffic or can at least lead to specific prescriptions to the turns in question on Parfet Estates.
Implementation will begin in the next six weeks in Golden, and city officials say that the program can be repealed if it becomes unnecessary in the future.