I have worked in Old Town Goleta for more than 45 years. The lack of parking in Old Town is a longtime problem that merchants have always had to deal with, but now we face a much more daunting problem caused by the City of Goleta’s poor planning. The city’s plan to narrow Hollister to one lane in each direction just to create a few new parking spaces is a wrong turn that could result in a much more dangerous situation for bikers, pedestrians, and merchants. The city insists on reminding us that it is just an “Interim Striping Project,” temporarily installed to see if it works. But this multi-million-dollar experiment will take several years. And it will be paid for by the people being used as lab rats.
The plan promised to add 14 new parking spaces and safer bike lanes on Hollister through Old Town. We have studied the plan and cannot find any additional parking spaces. We end up with the same amount.
What there will be plenty of are reverse-angled parking spaces. Imagine driving down a busy Hollister Avenue, and you see an empty parking space. You stop, but there’s another car right behind you. So how do you back into the space?