Parking changes have arrived in Pismo Beach. First, parking in one lot doubled from $1 to $2 an hour. Now, white lines outline spaces on the streets.
"We did this with city staff so all we had to do was pay for paint," said Pismo Beach Public Works Director Ben Fine. He says the city’s goal was to create more spaces for people to park by giving about 20 feet per space.
"Sometimes, the first guy will pull all the way up to the curbed parking. The next guy will park right in the middle of the next two spots."
Local residents say it’s helping.
"Parking is getting more scarce and scarce here. It’s a challenge and it has really affected the local businesses here the last year," said local business owner Tom Gore. He says his dog treat business would like more foot traffic and parking has been to blame.
"At least it tells people where to park and where not to park. I think that’s a good idea," Gore said.
The public works team also made some changes to the streets you may notice.
"We turned Addie and Park streets into a one-way couplet. It was narrow and had parking. It was very difficult. If cars were coming in opposite directions, often times a car would have to pull over to let it pass," Fine said.
As for Gore, he would like to see even bigger changes.
"I would definitely put a three-story parking garage somewhere in the city. It could be at the outlet malls. It could be at Price Street. It could be at some vacant lot that we still have available. I think that would solve a lot of it right there," Gore said.
The city says about 400 parking spaces are outlined on the streets of downtown Pismo Beach.
