Paid parking to begin at four Green Line stations in June

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The parking lot for the Green Line’s Norwalk Station has 1,792 spaces — and all of them are filled on most weekdays. Photo by Steve Hymon/Metro.

Paid parking will be implemented at four Green Line stations in June. The stations are as follows:

  • June 4: Aviation/LAX and Crenshaw Station
  • June 18: Lakewood and Norwalk Station

The parking rate is $3 per 24 hours. All stations will have the automated pay systems that are in use at other Metro pay parking lots. Riders will need a valid TAP card and either cash or credit card to pay. Parking kiosk locations are different for each facility but are generally located along pedestrian walkways, ground level near the elevator lobby or in the station plaza.

You can also pay for parking online at parkatmetro.net or use the Metro parking app. The app is available in the iTunes store and the Google Play store (there is a 15 cent fee to use the app so parking is $3.15 a day).

Monthly permits for these stations will become available later this year.

Under a plan approved by the Metro Board of Directors, Metro has converted some of its busiest parking lots to pay lots. The reasons are two-fold: 1) the fee helps keep some parking spaces open throughout the day for transit riders, and; 2) the fees prevent parking spaces from being taken by people not using transit.

Free spaces remain in many parking lots on the Metro system, click here for the full list.

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27 replies ›

    • Hi Mike,

      Yes, motorcycles will also need to pay.

      Thank you,

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source

  2. Everyone’s getting all wrapped around the axle about the cost. The cost isn’t the issue; it’s the method of collection.

    We won’t be able to pay with or TAP card; it’s cash or credit card … or the stupid application that has a surcharge of 15 cents each time.

    It’s also the fact that I’ll have to punch in my license plate number every time I park at the lot. Every bloody time.

    Sure I can get the monthly pass … but that isn’t available and the losers that are maintaining the email won’t say when it’ll be available.

    Metros insistance on using a third party processor for collecting these fees has made my employer decline to subsidize that portion of my commute.

    Metro is inconveniencing people who use the lot daily all under the guise of improving parking. It will be a pain in the ass to pay.

    • Hi Tim,

      Staff will be evaluating lot use as paid parking goes into effect and won’t launch sales of monthly permits until demand is stabilized and they can ensure permit holders will always have a space.

      Thank you,

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source

    • The TAP parking account needs to be implemented ASAP but like everything else (we have been waiting for automatic muni transfers for what, three years now???) it takes time. You can do a separate account like bike share does, but the transit and parking funds can’t be comingled because of federal tax laws.

      • It needs to be implemented so transit riders won’t have to spend an extra few minutes to pay EVERY DAY. Metro should get its act together and find a way to make it less inconvenient for people that will park every day.

  3. A couple thoughts about paid parking on Metro stations. 1. Every paid parking lots should have some free parking spots available, about 30% to 40% spots are free with first come first serve basis, while the rest of spots remain paid parking. 2. Paid parking should NOT be enforced on Saturday, Sunday and holiday because ridership are typically low. 3. Lower the current rate from $3 to $2 per day. 4. Discounted fare/ reward should be given to those frequent transit riders who are willingly to use public transit. I understand Metro wants to make more money through paid parking system but it could discourage riders to public transit if Metro keeps giving burdens to those who park and ride Metro to work. Your goal is to encourage and welcome everyone to use Metro inexpensively and ecofriendly.

    • Fred, I like your opinions, and here’s mine:

      1. Sparing portion of the lot as free parking could result in: the scarce free parking could be too fiercely contested to be practical, and paid drivers could still be out of luck in finding spot. Administrator would get blamed by EVERYBODY.

      2. While $3 per day achieves the goal of deterring non-transit users to exploit the lot, it definitely adds burden to regular riders. I think discount should be applied to the fare when the patron pays for parking *and* metro ride. I think $1 off makes sense. Or even 50 cents helps.

      I hope they don’t get too carried away in creating new revenue, and continue to focus on the purpose of the parking lots in the first place.

  4. This will put a strain on the parking lot at the 105/Green Line station as people will gravitate to free parking lots. I do know that part of the parking problem at the Crenshaw/105 station is the casino buses using it as a pickup location for day trips to casinos. Metro should have been more forceful in not allowing this to continue for such a long period of time. Will they still be allowed to park after paying $3.00 per day and not taking public transportation? Who will monitor this? What about the truckers who park overnight at this lot?

    Paid parking will be the end of my taking the Silver Line to work as it will increase my 10 mile commute to $8.00 per day. Definitely a buzz kill. We are already paying too many taxes for public transportation and now Metro is in essence creating another tax (which affects more lower income commuters.)

    Metro continues to create more barriers to public transportation instead of providing incentives to increase usage.

    • Why do you have a problem with casino buses? These are people who are traveling 160-200 miles round trip, well more than the average commuter, on buses that are generally at least half full, and often greater, in contrast to Metro bus service which is much less ridden at off peak hours. I get that some of the service sector council members are also elected officials of cities with card clubs, and that card clubs are a major source of revenue for those cities, but we should encourage carpooling and ridesharing of all kinds, especially these long distance trips.

      Discouraging non-transit riders at full park and rides at places like Norwalk and Lakewood is fine but remember the 105 freeway park and rides were built by Caltrans for all ride sharers, including vanpools and carpoolers. Caltrans has been derelict with maintenance for decades, so Metro took them over at their expense and feels they can convert to transit only since they are footing the bill. The Crenshaw station, according to the parking master plan, had under 50% usage and the only reason this is on the list was because Metro service sector council members agitated strongly for it. Metro has failed to account for spillover parking at stations like El Monte, where vanpoolers were displaced and streets surrounding the station are now filled with cars, while the once full lot is now empty enough for Metro to rent out spaces to a car dealership (on the southern end). The inflexible Metro parking contract, which requires parking to be charged for 24/7, causes messaging problems during events like New Years Eve when the Metro system is free but parking isn’t, and depresses evening and weekend ridership when connecting bus service is hourly at best in places like Monrovia, needs to be fixed.

      • I don’t have a problem with casino buses using the Crenshaw parking lot. (I recently went on a bus trip to Pechanga.) Signs are posted stating that the lot is for transit patrons only. I guess we will have to let Metro decide if this qualifies as transit patrons.

  6. How about a minimum of effort to create at least a half way usable bicycle route to any green line station. I shouldn’t have to crawl through a hole in the fence to get from a bike trail to a light rail statoin. Or would you rather I drove?

  7. Steve: Does Metro have any data to show how parking demand has changed at the stations that have changed from free to paid parking? I’d guess that demand has decreased somewhat, or at least that spaces are available later in the day than they were before.
    The only paid lot that I use is Expo/La Cienega. The demand there is similar to what it was before the fees went into effect, but that happened at the same time as the Culver City parking lot closed for construction of the new development.

    • Hey ExpoRider —

      I’ll ask about the data. Generally speaking, the parking team says that demand has eased a bit at the pay lots and there are now some spaces available throughout the day. That matches my observations, although I obviously don’t see many of the lots that often or throughout the day.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

    • Hey ExpoRider;

      Our parking staff cite a couple of lots — NoHo and Universal, both on the Red Line — as good examples of the parking program at work.

      -North Hollywood Station Parking (1,145 parking spaces) used to be 100% occupied by 7 a.m. It now has 100-150 spaces available throughout the day (87% occupied).

      -Universal City Station Parking (828 parking spaces) used to also be full by 7 a.m. It now has 70-80 parking spaces available throughout the day (90% occupied)

      Metro’s target occupancy goal is 85% — leaving ample space for transit patrons throughout the entire day.

      Hope that helps,

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

      • Thanks, Steve. Great info!
        I’d also include Expo La Cienega as a station where it’s generally at 80-90% capacity on weekdays (based on my personal observations). This tells me that Metro has set the prices at the correct level, according to what I’ve learned from the Dr. Shoup.
        I’d be most interested to hear how the parking fees are affecting parking demand at the end of the Gold Line, in Azusa and Irwindale, and on the Expo Line in Santa Monica. As you know, the Gold Line lots had demand way above capacity when they were free. And before Expo Phase extended to Santa Monica there were dooms-sayers claiming that there was nowhere near the parking capacity for that line, but the parking demand in Santa Monica was well below 50% for the first few months.

    • Hi,

      At this time the kiosks do not accept payment via TAP, so you’ll need to use a separate mode of payment in addition to proof of transit. TAP staff is working to integrate parking so that in the future you would be able to pay for parking with your TAP card.

      Thank you,

      Anna Chen
      Writer, The Source

  9. parkatmetro.net is asking for the Zone of the parking lot locations. What are the Zones for the 4 station locations?

    • Hi Tim;

      The zones are:

      Norwalk 601, 602
      Lakewood 603, 604
      Crenshaw 610
      Aviation/LAX 613

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  10. It is really frustrating that the information given by Metro seems to constantly vary from day to day–source to Source (pun intended). The price for parking at Lakewood or Norwallk stations is showing at $39 in this article but in the Metro site which shows “coming soon” and lists all station parking lot prices–it indicates the same lots will be $59. Why also are the lots converting mid month? I assume this means we will be forced to pay $3 a day until July? Lastly, when will we be able to purchase the monthly passes? Currently none of the green line stations are available for purchase. It would be nice if this wasn’t a last minute thing.

    • Hi Dave;

      The monthly passes are on hold at this time and the price is to be determined. In the meantime, the daily price is $3.

      Steve Hymon
      Editor, The Source

  11. I’m still livid I lost my parking spot at Universal City station in the migration to the new site. When you send out the letter after the deadline is unacceptable. Now I have to be on the wait list for who knows how long?

  12. Can we turn the lots into housing, maybe even with additional parking for pay and ride?