RESIDENTS SAY NO-PARKING SIGNS DO NOT REPRESENT NEIGHBORHOOD.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Residents along Clifton Place embroiled in a dispute over parking with parents who drop their students off at nearby Stevenson Ranch Elementary School said unauthorized no-parking signs placed in the area misrepresented the message neighbors were trying to send.

Amie Lyndvall, who lives on the block where makeshift no-parking and tow-away signs were posted Thursday, said a resident, upset with illegal parking, placed the notices around the cul-de-sac without the permission of the neighbors.

``The person that posted the signs acted out of frustration. It was the residents in the block that took the signs down,'' said Lyndvall who is also a PTA board member.

Lyndvall said the only problem residents have with parents who drop their kids off at school is the parking in driveways, in front of mailboxes and some cars that speed in the 15 mph zone.

``Our concern is the kids' safety, that's it. I have a child who goes to the school as well, so I know what it's like,'' Lyndvall said.

The California Highway Patrol acknowledged receiving complaints from both residents in the area and parents dropping their kids off at school. Officer Chuck Peterson said the matter is being monitored by patrol officers.

Sherry Louis, who drives her two children to the Stevenson Ranch school each morning, said Thursday parents cannot be blocked from parking on the public street. ``We pay our taxes, if they want to give us our tax dollars back they can,'' Louis said.

Melissa Polak, a Clifton Place resident, said the real issue is safety for neighborhood and school children.

``We pay taxes too, but that's not the point, we are concerned with the kids' safety and sometimes there is reckless driving, which creates a hazard for kids, and people do block our driveways,'' Polak said.

``The signs that were put up were not endorsed by the community. It was us who took the signs down, we invite them to use our street, park on our street, but respect our street and don't create a parking space that's not there,'' Polak said.

Diane von Buelow, principal at the 1,100-student school, said the Clifton Place parking dispute is not a school issue. However, von Buelow said one solution has already shown good results.

``We set up cones and people form a line with their vehicles and drop off the students rather quickly and, most important, safely,'' von Buelow said.

The principal said she believes once construction in the area is complete, the parking problems will ease. ``I know it's frustrating, but this is what we have to work with and I think the main concern of everyone is the safety of our children,'' von Buelow said.

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Photo: Parents of Stevenson Ranch Elementary students say the school 's lack of parking forces them to look for room on nearby streets.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News