LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Pursuing fire safety, Orinda sets more red flag day parking restrictions


Proposed Red Flag Parking Restriction Map (2855 : Red Flag Parking Restriction Expansion) Courtesy staff report

Having deemed the red flag day parking restrictions on El Toyonal to be very successful, and in response to public requests, the Orinda City Council on July 19 adopted similar restrictions for a number of other roads, primarily on evacuation routes within very high fire hazard severity zones in North Orinda. The Supplemental Sales Tax Oversight Commission has also expressed interest in the program expansion, which will be funded by Measure R.

Parking within 5 feet of the roadway will be prohibited on red flag days on the following roads: Monte Vista Road from Camino Pablo to Monte Vista Ridge Road; Claremont Avenue from Camino Pablo to the second western Holly Lane intersection; Manzanita Drive from Camino Pablo to Bobolink Road; the entire length of Vista Del Mar; the eastern portion of Camino Don Miguel from Miner Road to Vista del Mar; the western leg of Sleepy Hollow Lane from Lombardy Lane to the Normandy Lane and Washington Lane intersection; Lombardy Lane from Miner Road to Tarry Lane; Dalewood Drive from Lombardy Lane to Sundown Terrace; Honey Hill Road from Miner Road to Charles Hill Road ; Charles Hill Road from Honey Hill Road to El Nido Ranch Road and Sundown Terrace from Happy Valley Road to Silver Oak Terrace.

The matter was presented to the board by Public Works Director Scott Christie and was quickly adopted by the council. The next step will be to install signs along the specified routes. As on El Toyonal, there will be two sets of signs. One set of signs will alert drivers and primarily residents that the street is in a red flag parking restriction zone. The second set of signs are folded, so they can be closed on days that are not red flag days, but can be flipped open on red flag days to prohibit stopping or parking. Installing the signs will cost the city a little over $200,000. There will be recurring costs for public works crew and staff time of $10,000 per year, which includes maintenance of the signs, and parking enforcement at approximately $4,000 per year for an estimated 20 to 30 red flag days per year.