Local officials in the Kaiserslautern neighborhood of Einsiedlerhof have raised concerns about parking practices near a popular burrito restaurant recently. The city is responding with a weeklong focus on checks. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

The town council of Einsiedlerhof is tackling traffic turmoil attributed to Americans flocking to a popular local eatery, Benji’s Burrito, for their lunchtime fix.  

Patrons of the eatery, located at the corner of Kaiserstrasse and Im Einsiedlerhof, have been leaving their cars in no-parking zones or on the pedestrian crossing during the lunch and dinner rush, The Rheinpfalz newspaper reported council members as saying.

This creates a traffic snarl but also poses dangers to pedestrians and cyclists using the street, which serves as a link to a nearby railway and bus stops.

Officials issued 432 warnings for parking violations in 2022 and 2023 in the area, Matthias Thomas, a spokesman for the city, told Stars and Stripes by e-mail Monday.  

“The area is already patrolled ... more often than average,” Thomas said. “It is hardly possible to increase the frequency further in view of the number of staff and the size of the urban area.”  

In the near future, the city council will begin targeted parking enforcement there between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., Thomas said, without specifying exactly when it will start. 

Future plans include a decision on whether the current no-parking signs are effective or if a traffic-calmed zone should be established, potentially allowing for designated parking areas, Thomas added. 

The restaurant, which offers a full English-language menu and English-speaking staff, caters to an American audience and is quite popular. This has led some on the council to report perceptions that Americans who are frequenting the eatery are to blame for the traffic violations, The Rheinpfalz reported.  

American drivers living under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement are still subject to all parking enforcement by cities and municipalities.  

Since vehicles owned by American drivers have German license plates, however, their share of warnings can’t be determined, Thomas said. 

A previous 2021 proposal to delineate parking spaces near the restaurant was deemed unfeasible, with some officials blaming American military officials for discouraging parking along the nearby military installation’s fence line for security reasons, The Rheinpfalz said. 

To ensure the safety of U.S. personnel and resources, installations must adhere to anti-terrorism and force protection regulations that establish a minimum distance for parking of vehicles from installation boundaries, said Ronald Jung, a spokesman for the 86th Airlift Wing.

 “It is our concern as good partners and neighbors to resolve the parking condition due to the heavily frequented local businesses during peak times,” Jung said. “This has been an area of focused coordination since at least 2021, and we will continue to work with our host-nation partners to develop an appropriate solution based on a thorough evaluation constraints, and restraints.”