SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Metered parking in downtown San Diego is getting a lot more expensive during certain situations.
"Yeah, 100 percent there was no way we were going to pay for the parking with those rates,” Dylan Teller, who traveled to Downtown from Chula Vista with his wife Amanda, said.
It’s all to the new special events parking zone going into effect on Tuesday.
“I think it deters people from coming out to downtown. We live in Chula Vista, so we have to take the bus and sometimes even the trolley to get down here,” Amanda Teller said.
The Special Events rate is just like it says on the meter. $10 per hour for all parking meters within a half-mile radius of the ballpark. It's going to be for events of 10,000 people or more at Petco Park. It'll be from starting two hours before a special event at Petco Park until four hours after the event begins.
“I'm hearing it from you first. I would have not known until I went up, paid one. And like, well, when did this jump up to $10, you know, usually you could pay with the quarters in your car. But, not no more,” Angel Carbullido who was attending the Padres Game with his family, said.
The first event was the San Diego Padres game against the Baltimore Orioles.
“I think a lot of people are going to be shocked if they're not aware of it of it when they get and those that are going to be scrambling to try to find a place to park,” Mark Magro, who paid for a parking garage spot, said.
Mayor Todd Gloria said the new parking zone is needed to help manage the parking spots in the area. He also stated that people heading downtown are always encouraged to take public transit.
That’s what some people did to avoid the new rates.
"The traffic down here gets so bad during games anyways. And, if we wanted to stay out after the game, that would just potentially make it more expensive. So being able to hop on the bus and go back home is a lot easier and cheaper,” Teller said.
Some other folks ABC 10News spoke to either parked in lots they knew of or used ride-share on the first day of the new parking zone.
The Carbullibo family said they’ll be rethinking how they come to downtown with this new parking zone.
“We're going to be in downtown on game day, definitely we'll be thinking about buying parking ahead of time if you're not going,” Allaysiza Carbullibo said.
We asked the San Diego Padres about the special event parking zone.
A team spokesperson sent ABC 10News the following statement:
“The city’s decision to raise parking meter rates by 700 percent since last year, reaching $10 per hour before and during events at Petco Park, will make it significantly more expensive for fans, workers, and residents to park on the streets surrounding the ballpark.
“The city made this decision without meaningful input from key stakeholders, including the Padres organization. We have not yet received information regarding how the new parking revenue will be reinvested locally but look forward to better understanding the city’s plan.”
