Parking Gets Tight Between East Side Neighborhood And Hospital
East El Paso residents say their once quaint and quiet neighborhood has turned into a crowded mess because of hospital employees who park there and walk to work.
“Our neighborhood used to be really quiet and peaceful, um, we actually enjoyed living behind the hospital because there was always police patrolling the area,” said Sonia Carr, a neighborhood resident. “It was such a nice neighborhood.”
Sonia Carr said she has happy memories of loving on this street, right behind Del Sol Medical Center. She grew up there and her mother’s lived in the same house for nearly 50 years.
“It would have been nice to think that my children could grow up here but I guess I’ll have to move on,” Carr said.
In the last several years, the hospital has bought homes on the street adjacent to hers and some on her street, as well.
“They’ve literally turned our quiet little neighborhood into a business district,” Carr said.
And that means her neighborhood is is a coveted parking area for hospital employees, who Carr said sometimes block her driveway.
“I have my 93-year-old great-grandmother living with us and if we have to park that far and make her walk, it’s really hard for her,” Carr said.
Hosptial spokeswoman Carla Sierra said they encourage employees to park in designated lots but it’s legal to park on the street, too.
“Our primary interest is that we are friendly with our neighbors,” Sierra said.
Sierra added that the hospital wants residents to call their direct dispatch line if there is an employee blocking their driveway.
“We will send an officer out there, not one of our hospital security guards, but one of our police department, uniformed police officers that are here on our campus,” Sierra said.
That hospital dispatch number residents can call anytime is 594-5888.
El Paso City Rep. Steve Ortega said residents can call the closest El Paso Police regional command center if there’s a car blocking their driveway.
Ortega also said a long-term solution could be to ask the city to install no parking signs and then residents can purchase permits that cost $8 a year to park on their street.
