Visitors of San Francisco and Marin County Parks, in California, may soon have to pay to park.
In the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, where more than 12 million visitors came throughout the pandemic, a plan to charge for parking to pay for increased trash pickup costs is under consideration, SFIST reported.
The parks would still be free to visit, but parking would be considered an amenity, at the cost of $3 an hour, with a $10 daily maximum charge.
"The National Park Service says bigger crowds are coming with bigger costs for more trash removal, beach cleanup, traffic control and janitor services. They are proposing a new parking fee of $3 an hour with a maximum of $10 per day," KTVU said in a Sept. 8 tweet.
The affected parking lots include Baker Beach Lots, Lands End Lookout Lot, Sutro Heights Lot, China Beach Lot, Lone Sailor Statue Lot on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge, and parking lots at Rodeo Beach, Stinson Beach, and Fort Cronkhite, SFIST reported.
The NPS invites the public to comment on the proposal. The deadline to submit comments is Sept. 26. If approved, the proposal would take effect in 2022.
Some community members have expressed concerns over the proposal, KTVU reported.
"I think it's a great idea as long as they don't do it for residents. If they can do it for tourists that would be great," Bart Schachter, a San Francisco resident said.
