Residents in the Prospect Park neighborhood donâÄôt have to pay to park on the street in front of their house âÄî at least, not yet. The Prospect Park East River Road Improvement AssociationâÄôs livability committee conducted a survey of five streets north of Franklin Avenue during August and September to try to show the city that it has a park and ride problem. Joe Ring, chairman of the livability committee , said the only solution it has come up with is parking permits for neighborhood residents. Ring said there is no definitive plan for the exact scope of the permit area. When conducting the survey Ring said he saw people parking their cars and catching a bus, a problem he said will get worse when the light rail goes up. âÄúThe objective for the livability committee was to identify that there is an issue already and that itâÄôs going to be dramatically compounded when the light rail goes through and the stations are in place. âĦ [The problem] needs to be worked out between the community and the city,âÄù Ring said. Minneapolis traffic engineer Tim Drew said there are currently 29 areas where parking permits are required in the city. This includes a small area in Prospect Park between 27th and Williams avenues. He also said neighborhoods need to get a petition signed by 75 percent of residents in the permit area. Ring said this area does not fall under the normal process because of its potential as a historic district and the effect the central corridor will have on parking. Ring added that two problems with a parking permit would be enforcement and getting residents to pay for the permits. He said there will need to be regular enforcement, otherwise the residents who honor the permit system would be at a disadvantage. Karan Jindal lives in Prospect Park on Malcolm Avenue and said his house doesnâÄôt have a driveway, but he has no problem parking less than a block away. Jindal said he would not be in favor of parking permits in his neighborhood. âÄúI think families will not have an issue, but students, itâÄôs an additional cost, and since we donâÄôt have a driveway, IâÄôm totally against it,âÄù he said. Jindal said, however, that he understands where the neighborhood is coming from. He said a lot of students park their cars in the Prospect Park area and take the bus to school because parking close to the University of Minnesota is poor. Prospect Park is not the only neighborhood with concerns about parking. James De Sota, neighborhood coordinator for the Southeast Como Improvement Association , said parking is one of the biggest issues that Southeast Como faces. De Sota said the lack of actual parking in the neighborhood combined with how often itâÄôs used as a parking lot for University students who then take the bus or walk to campus makes it a big issue. He said a lot of people are frustrated and he could see Como revisiting the idea of resorting to parking permits in the future. âÄúItâÄôs not only an issue of frustration but also of safety and some of these issues where an elderly resident actually canâÄôt park on their block,âÄù De Sota said. Ring said while parking permits are the best solution, the main focus is alerting the city that they have a problem. Permits in other areas are $25 per year with a one-time $10 fee for the first year.