After hearing several complaints earlier this year, we asked for your thoughts on parking in Ridgemont. Hundreds of you responded, and clear themes came up. Over 90% of you had at least one parking concern, so this is something many of us notice. On most days, more than 30 cars are parked on our streets, so where and how we park really matters for visibility, traffic flow and pedestrian safety. You also told us you’d prefer the Board to share neighborly expectations instead of making strict rules.
The guidelines below are based on your feedback. They’re friendly requests, not rules, and just ask for the everyday courtesy that keeps our streets open and safe. You can also find them on our website.
- Use your driveway and garage first. Please park there before using the street, and reserve on-street space for visitors and genuine overflow.
- Park where drivers can still see people crossing. A parked car blocks the view of anyone stepping into the street from behind it and completely hides a child. Most neighborhood crashes involving children happen exactly this way, when a driver simply can’t see the child in time. Maintaining clear sightlines, especially near crosswalks, is the most important thing we can do.
- Abide by County Ordinances. Please don’t park within 30 feet of an intersection, 20 feet of a crosswalk, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, or 8 feet of a mailbox, and never block a driveway or sidewalk. These distances aren’t ours; they’re St. Louis County law (SLCRO 1207.040), and they exist for emergency access.
- Keep cul-de-sac circles open. Our cul-de-sacs are tight, and a vehicle parked in the circle forces trash trucks, delivery drivers, and emergency vehicles to thread around it in the narrowest spot we have. Please avoid parking in the turnaround, and if you have to, pull in tight to the curb so a large truck can still make the loop.
- Don’t park directly across from another vehicle. Two cars opposite each other can leave too little room for a fire truck or trash truck to pass.
- Leave your neighbors room at their own driveways. Try not to park directly across from a driveway. It gives the homeowner room to back out and turn without inching around your car.
- Park in front of your own home when you can. If you’re using the street, your own frontage is the courteous first choice before a neighbor’s.
- Don’t leave a vehicle in the same on-street spot for days at a time. Long-term street storage isn’t what our streets were designed for.
- Park only on paved surfaces. County code allows residential parking on a paved driveway or a paved designated area, not in front yards or on the grass (SLCRO 1207.060).
- RVs and boats have their own rules. Our indentures already require the Board’s prior written consent to keep a recreational vehicle or boat on your property (Article IV, Section 6), and County code requires that any RV or boat be parked on a paved driveway rather than on the street or the grass (SLCRO 1003.165). Please don’t store them on Ridgemont streets. If you need a short-term spot, reach out to us.
- On trash day, give the bins room. Leave space around carts so the truck’s arm can reach them and crews don’t have to skip your block.
- In winter, keep snow-removal routes open. A vehicle left on the street during a snow event can stop a plow from clearing the block.
- Pass these expectations along to guests, contractors, and service vehicles. Work and delivery vehicles are part of the picture too, and a quick heads-up to whoever’s coming to your home goes a long way.
Our governing documents charge the Board to keep the streets open so that no parking “prevent[s] or impair[s] the use of the Streets” by residents and their guests (Article VII). By following these simple courtesies, we can meet that responsibility together,
Thank you for watching out for each other. That’s what makes Ridgemont a great place to live.