Missing signs, confusing discounts and ‘unpleasant surprise’ mar first day of paid parking in Balboa Park

The first day of paid parking in Balboa Park was marked by confusion and frustration for many visitors, and some urgent action by city officials — including announcing Monday afternoon that they won’t start enforcing it yet.

The announcement, which didn’t say when enforcement would begin, came after city officials acknowledged a series of mistakes they were busy trying to fix.

Aware that parking kiosks throughout the park gave no information about discounts for city residents, officials raced Monday morning to put stickers on the kiosks with links to an online portal about them.

The lack of information before the stickers were added had prompted many city residents to spend long periods of time Monday unsuccessfully scrolling through options in search of discount information.

While the stickers helped eliminate some confusion, they didn’t change the fact that city residents must apply online, pay $5 to have their residency verified and wait two days for that verification.

Officials also still needed to add signs informing visitors they can park for free for three hours in the 951-space lower Inspiration Point parking lot.

That problem can’t be solved as quickly, but a city spokesperson said new signs indicating that option is available to visitors have been ordered and will be installed as soon as a vendor finishes making them.

In interviews Monday, several park visitors expressed confusion about where they could still park for free and why there were no signs announcing that seemingly important information.

Because of all the confusion, city officials announced Monday afternoon that there would be “an enforcement grace period” for the new parking rules, which had long been scheduled to take effect Jan. 5.

“The city understands the shift to paid parking will have on park visitors and wants to give them time to allow for behavior change,” the city statement says.

But the city wasn’t clear on how long it would delay enforcement. Officials were unwilling to give a specific length of time, but Nicole Darling, the city’s top communications official, said it would be “a few weeks.”

The amount of revenue the city expects to generate from parking fees and permits in Balboa Park has steadily dwindled since the plan was first announced last spring. The grace period could make it dwindle further.

Charles Modica, the city’s independent budget analyst, did not respond to an email Monday asking whether his most recent revenue calculation — $2.9 million to $4 million by June 30 — took into account an enforcement grace period.

Many visitors to the park on Monday, especially tourists visiting the zoo, had no idea they would be forced to pay for parking.

“It’s definitely an unpleasant surprise,” said Phoenix resident Ariana Beebee, who used her credit card to pay the $16 parking fee at the zoo just after 8:30 a.m.

Beebee said she would be happy to pay the fee if she knew the money would be spent helping the zoo’s animals. But zoo officials don’t provide any details on their parking kiosks about how the money will be spent.

Jordan Goodrich, who was visiting San Diego from New Zealand with his wife and children, said he was wrestling mentally with the unexpected fee, which he also ended up paying.

Goodrich said it was mild good news that the fee was only $16 — relatively small compared to the zoo admission fee of $72 for one adult.

Downtown San Diego resident Joseph Ocampo ran into a different problem: He can still park for free at the zoo because he’s a member, but he forgot his membership card Monday and was confused about what to do.

Ocampo, who said he planned to pay the fee in hopes of eventually getting a refund, said he supports parking fees at the zoo but not in the rest of the park.

“It should be free there because some people can’t afford it,” he said. “It’s not fair.”

Zoo spokesperson Emily Senninger said by email at 3 p.m. that it was “too soon to say at this point” whether things had gone smoothly on the first day of paid parking.

“Ace is enforcing paid parking in the zoo lot and issuing notices as needed,” she added later.

Elsewhere in the park, many visitors were confused about various aspects of the new parking rules.

Yadi Strickland of Logan Heights, who runs in the park a few times a week, was shocked to learn she can no longer park on the central mesa and begin her round-trip run from there.

“I usually run down the bridge and then on 4th or 5th Avenue and then come back here,” Strickland said. “Now I’m going to have to pay for that.”

Don Erickson of Clairemont knew a little about the new rules, but he accidentally parked in upper Inspiration Point thinking he would get three hours free there. Three free hours are only available in lower Inspiration Point.

Erickson — who typically drives down from Clairemont, then cycles to Hillcrest for breakfast and then back to the park — said he thought three hours would be enough, if he could just find the right lot.

More than 100 San Diego High School students appeared to find the correct parking lot Monday morning. About 130 of the 150 spots designated for the school within the lower Inspiration Point lot were full at 9 a.m.

Bay Park resident Thad Pugmire was part of a group who struggled for nearly half an hour with a parking kiosk near the park’s Organ Pavilion that included no information about discounts for city residents.

The paid parking system the city is launching is complex and features varying fees and discounts.

To park in the most centrally located lots — Space Theater, Casa de Balboa, Alcazar, Organ Pavilion, Bea Evenson, Palisades and South Carousel — the nonresident fees are $16 per day and $10 for up to 4 hours.

In Level 2 lots a bit farther away — Pepper Grove, Federal, Upper Inspiration Point and Marston Point — the fee is $10 per day for nonresidents.

Parking at lower Inspiration Point is $10 after those three free hours. The dividing line between upper and lower Inspiration Point is Presidents Way.

Residents get 50% off all parking fees. Frequent-user discounts are also available.

Darling said 630 applications for residency verification had been received through Sunday night.

Many park leaders have predicted the new parking fees will slash attendance at museums and other attractions, while also reducing membership in clubs focused on bridge, lawn bowling and other activities.

On Monday, Peter Comiskey of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership said it was too early to tell what impact the new fees will have. He praised city officials for promising to be vigilant and expressing willingness to adjust.

Comiskey, whose organization helped register the license plates of between 7,000 and 8,000 park workers and volunteers this winter, said Monday went relatively smoothly.

He said expanded tram service from lower Inspiration Point appeared to work well. He also praised workers and volunteers for accepting the new challenges they face.