The city of San Diego must improve transparency regarding how it uses parking revenue and make large-scale improvements to inform motorists of their parking options, according to a newly published San Diego County grand jury report.
The report stated that drivers hunting for affordable parking spots in the city “face a confusing array of rules, meters, apps and signage” that is likely to be exacerbated by fluctuating parking policies, including a recent rate increase that doubled parking meter fees.
To help drivers navigate the shifting public parking landscape, the grand jury recommended improvements to parking signs across the city to clearly indicate where drivers can park and how much they can expect to pay.
The report said privately owned parking lots should be required to display their rates in a way that is visible to motorists from the street, rather than not until drivers go to a payment machine.
Public parking signs present many of the same issues, the report stated, with drivers unclear on how much they will pay and what form of payment will be accepted.
The report also called to disband all of the city’s Community Parking Districts — which advise the city on parking and transportation matters — and have community planning groups fill those duties. The report alleged that Ds were lax in reporting parking meter revenue collected and that much of the revenue was spent on istrative costs.
The grand jury said the city also has lacked transparency in how it handles fees collected from metered spaces outside of Ds.
“The city should take immediate steps to report revenues collected from all parking meters and how it uses those revenues,” according to the report.
The grand jury said many of its recommendations were reflected in a parking study the city commissioned earlier this year.
A statement from the city reported by NBC-TV/7 said officials “will provide a formal response to the grand jury on this report and the recommendations, as required. A number of the recommendations will be addressed in the comprehensive package of parking reforms that has already been proposed by the city and will be brought forward for City Council approval in the next few months. Among those reforms [are] ensuring transparent reporting of parking meter revenues and recommended improvements to the Community Parking District program.”
The report also stated that signs associated with special events at Petco Park are often inconsistent with typical city requirements for special events, such as policies that require “No parking” signage to be posted 72 hours before an event.
— La Jolla Light staff contributed to this report. ♦
