SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – There’s been plenty of talk about the new special event parking rates for downtown San Diego.
As ABC 10News has reported, the price to park is $10 per hour for parking meters within a half-mile radius of Petco Park. The new rate zone is active when there’s an event of 10,000 or more at the ballpark, with the timeframe being two hours before the event starts until four hours after the event starts.
Currently, a violation for expired meter parking is a fine of $55, according to the City of San Diego’s Municipal Code. So, it would be $5 less than paying for the full time at a meter during the special event parking zone.
ABC 10News reached out to the City of San Diego about this detail, and a city spokesperson said the fine could go up if you pay online with an additional fee of $3.50.
So, it could be a total of $58.50 -- which would be cheaper than the $60 for the full six hours of the new parking zone.
The city made a good point that people do not have to purchase the full six hours during special events.
“The expired meter fees were last adjusted in July, and we continue to monitor whether citation amounts are appropriately set to deter violations,” said City of San Diego Senior Public Information Officer Leslie Wolf Branscomb.
ABC 10News spoke with the San Diego Police Department about the fine and what could happen if people don’t pay for it.
"Any time that enforcement, especially when it comes to a parking ticket, it can be avoided; let's avoid it,” said SDPD Lt. Travis Easter. “If you're trying to save money, maybe it's the cheaper way, but at the same time, let's make sure that we abide by the laws, no matter how inconvenient, no matter how pricey they are, they are the laws, they're there for a reason."
Easter said that $55 ticket can also escalate, adding, "The $5 that you may be saving, or $10, or however much it is that you think that you're saving now can become very, very costly.”
According to the municipal code, the first late fee is $30, with a second late fee of $10. If you don't pay it on time, there are late fees for that parking ticket you thought you were saving $5 with.
"If you get a lot of parking violations, a lot of parking tickets, eventually that can build up and the vehicle can be towed,” Easter said. “It can range from $400 or more, and again, it goes up by the day as well."
RELATED COVERAGE:
- Padres fans turn to trolley as parking meters near Petco Park jump to $10 per hour during games
- Padres fans react to first day of downtown San Diego special events parking zone rates
- Gaslamp business owners frustrated by high parking rates downtown
- City: Downtown employees should take public transit to avoid special event parking fees
- Gaslamp Quarter Association expresses concerns about $10 per hour parking during special events
- $10 per hour to park downtown: When, where, and why?
- Parking meter hours extended in some parts of city of San Diego
