Advocates for public transit and cycling say local officials are missing a major opportunity to use the start of paid parking in Balboa Park to aggressively promote alternative means of getting to the park. The groups say the controversy since paid parking began Jan. 5 has focused on people either p aying the new fees or boycotting, with little mention of getting to the park by cycling, walking or mass transit. That’s despite the fact that Balboa Park is served by five bus lines, including a high-frequency route, and two trolley lines that stop at the nearby City College station. In addition, the park is surrounded by some of the most conspicuous and expensive cycling infrastructure in the city along Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Park Boulevard and Pershing Drive. Officials from the city and the Metropolitan Transit System often tout their commitment to shifting people away from commuting by car to alternative methods and regularly promote their services as a way to get to local events — but they haven’t done so during the Balboa Park parking changes. A woman boards an MTS bus on Park Boulevard next to Balboa Park on Feb. 5, 2026, in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) “The introduction of paid parking presents a unique opportunity for the city of San Diego and MTS to actively promote and invest in alternatives that advance goals the city has already committed to,” the nonprofit advocacy groups say in an open letter released Thursday. The letter — signed by RideSD, the San Diego County Bike Coalition, BikeSD, Strong Towns San Diego and San Diego 350 Climate Action — offers recommendations for what city and MTS officials could do. “First, the city and MTS should launch a ‘Go San Diego’ campaign, focusing on clear communication and wayfinding to make it easy to choose bus, bike and walking to the park,” the groups say in the letter. “Information should be easily accessible — online, on-site and in the same places people currently go for parking information,” the letter continues. “If someone can find the parking rules in 30 seconds, they should be able to find the best car-free route in 30 seconds, too.” The letter goes on to also advocate for more long-term investments in making transit a reliable means of getting to San Diego’s most popular destinations. “We urge the city and MTS to commit to practical, long-term improvements that make transit feel like a first choice, not an afterthought,” the letter says. “It should be reliable, frequent and fast enough to compete.” The Route 215 bus bound for San Diego State University travels on Park Boulevard between the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden and San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park on Feb. 5, 2026, in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) In a prepared response sent by email, city officials said they agree with the nonprofit groups. But they gave no explanation for why they haven’t been promoting transit or cycling during the rollout of paid parking in Balboa Park. “We appreciate the input and agree that encouraging alternative methods of travel to Balboa Park is a good idea for San Diegans, not just to help them save money but also to alleviate traffic congestion and align with our climate action goals,” the city said. The city’s statement notes that bicycle parking in Balboa Park remains free, and that those who choose to arrive by car can take a free tram to the center of the park from Lower Inspiration Point, where vehicle parking is free for three hours. An MTS spokesperson confirmed Thursday that the agency had no immediate plans to use widespread frustration with paid parking in Balboa Park as a launching point to promote taking transit to the park. The spokesperson, Hector Zermeno, said MTS is in the planning stages of a promotional campaign about taking transit to the park in the spring and summer when attendance picks up. “These efforts will increase awareness that the best way to travel to Balboa Park is by transit,” Zermeno said by email. The Palisades Lot in the southern portion of Balboa Park is mostly empty on Jan. 26, 2026, in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Since paid parking took effect Jan. 5, MTS has issued news releases promoting use of transit to specific events. But it has made no such efforts to promote taking transit to Balboa Park. “MTS Ramping Up Trolley Service for Monster Jam at Snapdragon Stadium,” the agency said in a news release issued Jan. 8. On Jan. 16, the agency issued a similar release headlined “MTS Announces Service Enhancements for Event-Packed Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend.” Six days later, it issued another headlined “MTS Boosts Green Line Trolley Service for Monster Jam’s Second Weekend.” And on Monday, the agency promoted its services in another release headlined “Ride the Trolley Like a Champion to the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.” An MTS bus travels along Park Boulevard in Balboa Park with the Fleet Science Center and Bea Evenson Fountain in the background on Feb. 5, 2026, in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Transit advocates point out that much of the public debate over the new paid parking in Balboa Park assumes everyone in San Diego gets there by driving. “Much of the conversation has focused solely on drivers, to the exclusion of the young, the old, the non-licensed and the car-free,” the letter says. And although some San Diegans complain that public transportation in the region isn’t convenient, the nonprofits note that the transit serving the park is particularly viable. “Five bus routes, including a high-frequency service, means a bus is passing through or near the park every few minutes,” the letter says. “Three of the five bus routes are in the top 10 for weekly ridership.” The routes serving the park that are in the city’s top 10 for ridership are Rapid Route 215 and Routes 3 and 7. The City College trolley station is served by both the Blue Line, one of the highest ridership light-rail lines in the nation, and the Orange Line. Visitors ride on the free Balboa Park tram on the first day of paid parking in the park on Jan. 5, 2026, in San Diego. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The Blue Line connects Balboa Park to La Jolla, University City, Pacific Beach, Clairemont, Old Town, Little Italy, downtown, National City, Chula Vista and the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Orange Line connects the park to southeastern San Diego neighborhoods, Lemon Grove, La Mesa and El Cajon. Annual ridership on MTS buses and trolleys rose by more than 7% to 81.2 million during the fiscal year that ended in June — leaving it down just 4.2 million from the pre-pandemic ridership of 85.4 million. Nicole Capretz, primary author of the city’s first climate action plan and leader of the nonprofit Climate Action Campaign, said Thursday that local officials should be focused on making it easier to shift away from cars. “Instead of building a paywall around the park, we should be building the protected bike lanes and high-frequency transit that make the car-free choice the easiest choice for every San Diegan,” Capretz said. ...read more read less