Everybody be cool, they brought back the free parking for all the Balboa Park lots used by people going downtown to game. www.insidesandiego.org/mayor-gloria...

The 215 Rapid bus is the busiest bus line in the system and the mayors office has removed a portion of the dedicated bus lanes that serve it... as part of the deal they made with the San Diego Zoo on paid parking.

Mad about the Parking Fees? Teach the city a lesson and ride the bus or your bike to Balboa Park.

Thursday afternoon in Balboa Park… plenty of parking available now, no lines at the museums, and the first month generated $600,000 in fees ($7m in 2026). So, everyone loses. (When you build for cultural and social value, it always equates to economic value, while the converse is not as true.)

In this article a local resident opposes climate adaptation because “I’ll be dead before I see the (effects of climate change).” I hate hearing about people who’ve come so far in life, care so very little about those who will be alive after they are gone.

Four or five times a week I walk or ride down 30th Street and the bike lanes are consistently blocked by cars at the exact same locations. Anyone paying attention can see that some limited hard separation would really help to keep people safe.

To all my San Diego Peeps. Keep an eye out for this pasty propagandist and provocateur.

LA Peeps, can you take this survey for turning Pacific Coast Highway into a main street instead of a drag strip? (SCAG=Southern California Association of Governments, which coordinates housing+transportation planning for 6 SoCal counties/pop 19.5M) koacorp.typeform.com/to/X1TB8QAC

When faced with a change in prices or fees the most common response is “well no one told me!” Especially if it’s coming from the city. I feel like knocking on everyone’s door and telling them that no one is going to come knock on their door and let them know important stuff.

Sadly the 10 bus is making me late again. It’s a difficult route to have a relationship with.

For my San Diego peeps, my org, as part of our OneSD effort, launched a countywide survey this week to assess the state of our community fabric. Open to all in SD County and just takes 10 minutes. Please take the survey, share widely, and feel free to reach out to me with questions. My DMs are open.

It's true

Nobody talks about it but there are a number of user groups that have come to rely on Balboa Park parking lots being free. Naval Hospital staff, Padres fans, SDHS and SDCC, and many other workers and convention center staff/visitors know to park free and walk over the bridge into downtown.

After being involved with BP and seeing the way groups work to have influence over that resource, I am somewhat critical of its designation as a regional asset. IMO, being regional has diminished the voice of the city neighborhoods that surround it in favor of other influential communities.

A good new politics program for San Diego. Howard does a great job hitting the parking fee issues, including the point that the city should be pushing alternatives to access the park for those who might struggle with parking fees

Caltrans says smash the freeway to a million pieces. dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-...

30th Street bike lanes changed my neighborhood and my life for the better. timesofsandiego.com/life/2026/01...

Looking for a San Diego Bluesky starter pack? Look no further! go.bsky.app/Likvr1z

Beach Communities that don't build housing are theme parks

So wild seeing a City Councilmember post about masked federal agents assaulting and killing people, and the comments are all ”What are you doing about the parking fees???”

I've answered so many questions about my cargo bike, asked by people who want to drive less. People will choose to not bring their car if they feel safe on our roads. They will do it for their health, the climate, and their children.

And I, for one, will welcome my new neighbors.

What park institutions and many in this city have yet to learn, when people visit #BalboaPark by bicycle or transit they have more money in their pocket to spend. Studies have proven this, it is economic fact that transportation choices drive spending choices.

From Public Square: "Nearly one in five is interested in car-free living." Authors of an academic survey recommend zoning and parking reform, as well as investing in alternative transportation, to enable car-free living. www.cnu.org/publicsquare...

San Diego Unified School District really looking to the future here and bravely choosing more homes for my neighborhood and $4.2b in revenue for local schools over the next 99 years. Well done school board! #SanDiego

City Council's Wednesday discussion agenda Item 2 will consider a citizen's suggestion of a ballot measure to make parking in Balboa Park free on Sundays. Improved transit service and filling critical gaps in the Park Blvd Bus/ Bikeway still not getting air time as alternative responses.

Many community members supported stregnthening alternative access modes during the Park Boulevard Bus/Bike Lane debates. The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership fought them vigorously to preserve a small amount of street parking. Its never been about expanding access for them.

Got an email from a #BalboaPark institution opposing new parking fees in the park. Free Parking is not the definition of Accessibility. Vehicles in the park actually work against their stated values by imposing a variety of negative impacts on accessibility for park visitors.

Fools

The economic benefit is there for the taking. Cities struggling with deficits (like San Diego) can offset road maintenance and health burdens with this one simple trick, make it safe enough for people to choose to bike.

The truth about moving around most urban areas. E bikes outperform most all other modes of transportation.

Great article featuring @ridesd.org which is becoming a force for public transport improvements in San Diego. Like being able to tap onto transit with a credit or bank card? Thanks them! www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/01/18/t...

There is a protest being organized this weekend opposing the Balboa Park parking fees. I noticed this,

PCH is death on a stick for anyone outside of a car. Pedestrians and cyclists alike and regularly killed for no other reason than state traffic engineers refuse to prioritize their safety. Of all places, the coast highway should be a safe place to enjoy on a bicycle.

I would be willing to consider only charging SUV's and large trucks to park in Balboa Park.

The best kind of induced demand. Still waiting for drivers to cotton on that more cycle lanes lead to more cyclists, which means fewer cars for them to deal with.

During one of my last meetings with the Balboa Park Committee I suggested the creation of a parking lot reduction/depaving plan to reduce paved lots 50% by 2030. The city’s parking count in the paid parking study and recent boom of open parking spaces shows this idea works. #BalboaPark #depaving

Going to weaponize my bicycle and take the lane

Parking is always free when you leave your car at home.

I remember when Meta hired starchitect firms to design projects in the metaverse. So dumb.

People in San Diego keep saying, of Balboa Park, "parks are for people" to argue against having to pay to park their cars there. Cars, of course, aren't people.

Random people have been weaponizing their cars to try and kill me daily for 30 years and I have never shot anyone in the face. usa.streetsblog.org/2026/01/12/w...

Someone tagged gentrifier across my building that has one other political activist living in it, a couple of families, people who grew up in Oakland and people who moved to Oakland. I am exhausted of dealing with people in the housing space who would cheer on the person who tagged the building.

The noise from cars on the 163 really ruins this walk through Balboa Park.

Nearly burst into tears crossing the George Washington Bridge just now — the immense towers floating, floodlit, in the blackness of night and rain. God, is there any more extraordinary feat of construction than bridges?

For San Diego folks who are looking for an e-bike, just want to give a shout out to Electric Bike Central on San Diego Ave. Small shop that only sells quality bikes and 100% takes care of their customers.

irculate and VZ Coalition partners are urging Mayor Gloria to use parking revenues to make San Diego safer for pedestrians and cyclists. If the City continues making space for people to store their cars, the revenue ought to go towards preventing death and injury from them!

A giant whale collided with a ship yesterday. The ship captain said he came out of nowhere. apnews.com/article/new-...

SANDAG promised critical bike projects back in 2013 as part of the Early Action Program. More than a decade later, many of those commitments still aren’t funded or delivered. Tell SANDAG to keep their word and fully fund the bike projects they promised: slacktivist.org/initiative/s...