According to the City of San Diego, starting September 1, parking meter rates will increase to $10 an hour when big events roll into Petco Park. The price hike kicks in two hours before events with 10,000+ attendees and lasts four hours after the start, patching up for six hours of pricier parking during events.
The aim here is to ease traffic congestion synonymous with major events and gather funds for the Special Event Zone improvements. So, if you plan to catch a Padres game or groove to Chris Brown on September 17, those meters will demand more coins from 5 PM to 11 PM. Not to mention that the folks with disabled placards still park for free.
Downtown's getting decked out with around 400 new signs heralding the change, marking out the Special Event Zone, which is boxed in by Harbor Drive, State Street, Broadway, and Interstate 5, the city's crews will be busy installing these markers over the coming two weeks. For those who'd rather not foot the steeper meter bill, public transport stands by as a wallet-friendly alternative, with MTS buses and the trolley at the ready, as per the City of San Diego.
San Diego's move mirrors San Francisco's already established high-rolling parking during Oracle Park and Chase Center happenings, where parking meters can go up to $12 an hour, the heart of this scheme is to inject some much-needed cash into the City’s parking and transit infrastructure, extracting more from special event parking while easing off the General Fund's back. And if you're a night owl, take note as the whole city's meters will stay hungry till at least 10 p.m., part of broader parking reforms okayed by the San Diego City Council back in June.
September's calendar is hefty with 17 special events, so those cruising for spots might want to start getting acquainted with the idea of pricier parking. The Padres alone are hosting 14 games, and with sold-out baseball games like the Savannah Bananas on the 5th and 6th, it's shaping up to be a busy introduction to the new Special Event Zone pricing. More info is up for grabs on the City's website if you're looking to hash out the finer details or scope out the Special Event Zone map.
