Parking Fees Will Fluctuate Near Pier

The city’s $6-a-day parking fee at pier-area lots will change to a variable rate that will depend on the season and time of day.

Council members this week approved the one-year experiment they hope will take more cars off city streets and boost revenue.

“There are times when the lots are completely empty because people are hesitant to pay a $6 flat fee to go shopping,” Mayor Gwen Forsythe said.

“We hope this will make the lots a lot more attractive to those folks who are using the residential streets.”

Parking on Main Street and nearby beach area streets can be hard to find when the weather is good, city officials say, but the two city parking lots at 8th and Ocean streets are rarely full. There are no parking meters on Main Street, so city officials see the opportunity to increase revenue by offering reduced rates in the pierside lots.

The city received $308,238 in parking revenue for the 1994-95 fiscal year, including parking fees collected in the 1st Street lot near the San Gabriel River jetty.

Under the new parking fee plan, summer weekend rates from May 1 to Oct. 31 would fall from the $6 flat fee in the two pierside lots to $2 between 5 and 9 a.m.

City Manager Keith Till said the lower rate should attract swimmers and surfers who now park on residential streets.

The $6 parking fee would apply between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., falling again to $2 after 4 p.m. to attract shoppers and restaurant customers.

On weekdays, the maximum flat rate fee would be $5.

During the winter season, from Nov. 1 to April 30, the city will switch to an automated “pay as you leave” system with a rate of 50 cents per half-hour, up to a $4 maximum, seven days a week.