A resident-led petition has compelled the Hayward City Council to vote unanimously in favor of restricting parking hours along the streets off of Hayward Boulevard near Bronco Billy’s Pizza Palace, to prevent students from parking there.

The new change will affect Civic Avenue, Dobbel Avenue, Spencer Lane, Hillcrest Avenue, Parkside Drive, and Rainbow Court. Hemingway Court is also on the list, however some residents from that community do not want to have restricted hours parking because they said they have not had a problem with students. Additionally, some residents from Hillcrest Avenue do not want to be part of the program as well since many houses do not have garages.

The restricted hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fred Kelley, transportation manager of Hayward, said the hours have been extended to 9 p.m., which is unusual for restricted parking, preventing students who have night classes from parking in the area.

Homeowners who will be parking on the streets briefly in these areas without a permit could potentially negotiate with the facilities department to waive their ability to park on the street, according to City Manager Fran David.

Residents will have to purchase parking permits every two years to park on the streets at the cost of $50. The staff report estimates this will bring in revenues of $13,050 a year, which will cover the costs of implementing the program.

The councilmembers, who referred to the university as “Cal State” or “Cal State Hayward” sympathized with accounts shared by residents of students using drugs in the area, parking on the sidewalk and blocking driveways. They were also concerned with students having loud parties in the area and drunkenness.

Residents of this community who spoke at the council meeting were satisfied with the new parking program, and said they were tired of calling the police and having students block their driveways.

One of the residents, Robert Mitchell of Dobbel Avenue, asked the city to be aware that students may be parking there because they may not have the money to buy parking permits on campus. He also asked the council to overlook students littering as activities all “young teenagers” do, which was quickly rebuffed by Mayor Barbara Halliday, who said even in her twenties she never littered.

No date has been set to enforce these changes, however the maintenance services department is working on constructing signs indicating that parking is restricted and will pass out courtesy tickets for the first two weeks of implementation.