Parking may soon be difficult to find around Runyon Canyon after the Los Angeles City Council approved new regulations for residential areas near the popular hiking spot.

Parking is limited west side of the canyon The north side of Hollywood Boulevard is approximately half a mile wide from North Carson Avenue to Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Residents living within the restricted area can obtain a permit from the city.

In response to complaints from residents that hikers and tourists were filling up street parking near their homes, City Councilor Nitya Raman, who represents the neighborhood, called for the regulations to go into effect in 2022.

Lots of street parking around Runyon Canyon. entry is already prohibited In a 2022 letter to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, Raman said it affected non-residents and forced motorists to flood residential neighborhoods on the west side of the canyon.

A Transport Committee report submitted to City Council in February said “residents deserve immediate relief” from the onslaught of on-street parking.

Chris Heller, a resident of North Carson Avenue, said he is grateful for the impending restrictions. “This is a narrow road, so it gets really noisy, especially on weekends,” she said.

Another neighbor, Mary Ann Christopher, said she worries about ambulances and other emergency vehicles passing through the street with cars lined up on both sides of the road. She said she wished there was permit parking in the area.

The city council has not yet announced what restrictions will apply on which streets, but they range from two-hour parking to no parking for a certain amount of time without a permit.

Some Runyon Canyon hikers said the new regulations would make an already difficult parking situation worse and deter people from visiting the park. Hikers say there is one small section at the top of the canyon with no meters, but it fills up quickly.

“We should be looking to expand access to the outdoors, not reduce it,” says Hollywood Hills resident and outdoor enthusiast Lowell Goodman. “I think it’s really important that everyone can park there and use this space.”

Runyon Canyon attract a large audience every weekend.

Scott Manlin, a Hancock Park resident who lives in a permit-only parking lot south of the canyon, said he thinks there are two sides to the issue. He hikes through the canyon almost every day, trying to park somewhere between North La Brea Avenue and Sierra Bonita Avenue.

“I can empathize with the owner's way of thinking,” he said. “They want to have parking near their home, and they own that home and have the right to it. But it's also a public good, so they need access to it.”

Hikers who park on or west of North Carson Avenue can walk to the park entrance near North Vista Street or North Fuller Avenue at the bottom of the canyon. The new regulations will force climbers to try to park more than half a mile west of these entrances.

“If you're here to hike, it's a short walk from the parking lot,” said Dean Neistat, who lives close enough to the canyon to run from his home.

Other hikers who live near Runyon Canyon said the crowded streets are just part of the territory.

“When you move here, you register,” said Brad Hogle, who lives near the canyon and visits often. “It’s like moving to Disney World and complaining to people.”

The city council has not announced when road signs outlining the regulations will be posted.