Roughly one month into San Diego's experiment with paid parking in Balboa Park, bike and transit advocates are urging the city to do more to help visitors access the park without paying.
A coalition of five organizations wrote a letter last week addressed to Mayor Todd Gloria, the San Diego City Council and board members of the Metropolitan Transit System. The letter argues that the public debate over Balboa Park parking fees has ignored the needs of people who can't drive, or choose not to.
"Paid parking without better choices is just a fee," the groups said. "Paid parking with better choices is a public service."
Leif Gensert, vice president of the public transit advocacy group RideSD, acknowledged neither the city nor MTS can afford major investments in new services or infrastructure to improve park access. But he said both already spend money on communications and marketing and should do more to promote car-free park access.
"Make the sales pitch to the public," Gensert said. "Please, talk about public transport. That's what we want to see from the city."
Gloria on Friday announced a slate of changes to the Balboa Park parking fees in response to a backlash from the City Council and public. Starting March 2, verified city residents will be able to park for free in seven of the park's 12 parking lots. Parking is also set to be free for everyone after 6 p.m., two hours earlier than the current end of enforcement at 8 p.m.
Accessibility is a key component of the city's plans to update the Balboa Park Master Plan. The update will also consider the park's long-term maintenance needs, which are estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Institutions that operate within Balboa Park have been among the most vocal critics of the parking fees. Peter Comiskey, executive director of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, said the museums and cultural organizations in the park support expanding access by any mode of transportation. But he said currently, cars are still the best option for most people.
"Let's work out ways that we can improve access to the park," Comiskey said. "Right now, though, that's vehicles. And we have to make sure that those vehicles and those cars can still get here."
