SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego residents tell ABC 10News they're frustrated with construction to do away with parking spaces on 30th Street for a bike path.
"Without being able to park our cars, we come home with groceries. We park three blocks away. It’s so hard to just get back to our apartments," said Sam Villa.
This has become a new reality for her and other residents who live off of 30th street in the South Park and North Park neighborhoods. Villa said ever since city crews began closing down streets, painting the curbs red, residents have had to find somewhere else to park, which can be quite challenging.
"We don’t have driveways to park in so we’re parking in the neighborhoods next door," Villa said.
RELATED: San Diego plans for 30th Street repaving, bike lane project next week
And that’s causing a ripple effect for neighborhoods nearby.
Martin Kruman lives a couple of streets down and said he shares Villa's concerns.
"The impact is the cars that were normally on 30th Street are now finding spaces in neighboring streets. So the impact is backing everything up," Kruman said.
The red curbs are part of San Diego's project to replace parking spaces with separated bike lanes. Once the project is finished, the new street layout will utilize physical barriers, including plastic posts and parked vehicle spaces, to separate cyclists and other path users from traffic.
Bike lane facilities are expected to be installed in early July, according to the city.
Villa said she also uses a bike to get around her neighborhood but believes this plan is doing more harm than good.
"I’ve never had a problem riding my bike before with all the cars here. I’ve never stopped traffic riding my bike. I ride my bike. Cars are friendly, bikes are friendly, if everyone does the right thing it’s never been a problem," said Villa.
The city has said they passed out informational door hangers letting people know the timeline of this project, adding, there’s also a two-story parking garage off 30th as an alternative to street parking.
Because of this, a group called "Save 30th Street Parking" was created. They’ve hired a lawyer and are gathering donations to see what they can do to stop the city’s plan.
