Officials ban parking east of park entrance
POINT LOBOS >> Citing the danger to pedestrians and the obstruction of emergency vehicles, Monterey County elected officials have permanently put the kibosh on parking on the east side of Highway 1 across from the entrance to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.
As tourist season moves into full swing and people who have been cooped up during the COVID-19 pandemic flock to the outdoors, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors last week prohibited parking within 1,800 feet — roughly one-third mile — from the Point Lobos entrance on the east side of Highway 1.
A pilot program has been in place for the past couple of years to determine whether the ban had an effect on safety in the area. The consensus among a number of agencies is that the ban has been highly successful.
“The parking restriction has not had any effect on attendance at the park,” said Chad Alino, a traffic planner for the county. “There have been no pedestrian-related accidents since the prohibition has been in place.”
The concern for pedestrian safety stems from in the past visitors parking on the east side of the highway — opposite the park entrance — then crossing the busy highway with everything from baby strollers to coolers in tow. An additional safety hazard was created when cars on the west side of the highway flip U-turns in the middle of the road.
The ban is also supported by a host of first responders — law enforcement, fire departments and medical aid — because when parking was allowed on both sides of the highway there was no room for cars to pull to the side of the road to allow emergency vehicles to pass.
The permanent ban is also supported by Caltrans.
A concern raised about the ban was whether it restricted access to the park, something that raises the eyebrows of the California Coastal Commission, which is charged with ensuring everyone has access to state beach areas.
Supervisors Luis Alejo and Chris Lopez had previously voiced concerns that the intent of the county was to limit access. After certain language was removed from the ordinance, both supervisors then voted to support the permanent ban.
In a recent meeting among Coastal Commission staff, county staff,
park officials and nonprofit groups, the access question was mostly allayed. Supervisor Mary Adams, whose District 5 includes the Point Lobos area, said she had “taken public access seriously”
and that the Coastal Commission now has a better understanding of the efforts underway.
One such effort is the work being done toward creating a 100-vehicle parking
area near the mouth of Carmel Valley and a corresponding free or reducedcost shuttle to take visitors to and from the short distance to the park.
A group called the Park It! is leading the project in cooperation with partners such as State Parks, Big Sur Land Trust, the Big Sur International Marathon, the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District and the Point Lobos Foundation.
The project is slated for an area just north of Rio Road and south of Carmel Valley Road dubbed Marathon Flats. Organizers hope to have a demonstration project up and running sometime this summer.