REGION: Chargers bus reinstated
Trial parking plan moves forward for three Coaster stations
By PAUL SISSON - Staff Writer | ∞
OCEANSIDE ---- The Bolt Bus is back, but not until after Monday's match up with the New York Jets.
With a unanimous vote, transit directors reinstated special service for San Diego Chargers games starting with the Oct. 12 showdown with the New England Patriots. Transit directors showed much less agreement in approving a pilot program that will soon begin charging for some kinds of parking at three North County Coaster stations.
But the Chargers bus vote was quick and gleeful.
"I'll move approval as long as I get tickets for the Broncos game," quipped Oceanside Councilman Rocky Chavez, who represents the city on the transit board.
A new federal rule forced the transit district to cease operating its popular Chargers service, which collected fans at numerous pick-up points along interstates 5 and 15 and delivered them, via a special bus-only entrance, to Qualcomm Stadium's capacious parking lot.
Tom Lichterman, director of operations for the district, said private companies that initially said they wanted to provide Chargers charter service backed away from the idea after the season started. The district called federal rail regulators and asked for permission to resume the service.
"They said you are free to operate the service for the remainder of the season," Lichterman said.
Not counting Monday's tussle with Brett Favre and company, six Chargers home games remain in 2008. Lichterman said bus service will be available for all but one of those games. There will be no bus service to the Dec. 4 game against the Oakland Raiders.
"On weekdays, the buses are all busy carrying riders, so we cannot serve that game," Lichterman said.
When the feds forced the district to put the Bolt Bus on hiatus, the transit district instituted a similar service on its Coaster commuter trains. That service will be discontinued after Monday's game. A district report on the service indicated that the Coaster service was not nearly as popular with riders because many found the need to transfer to the San Diego Trolley at the Coaster's Old Town Station cumbersome.
"There were some problems," Lichterman said.
Some transit board members had problems with a parking plan ---- approved on a 5-4 vote ---- for three Coaster parking lots.
As part of a three-month trial run, the district, working with the San Diego Association of Governments and CalTrans, will begin charging for parking in dedicated Coaster lots if the drivers do not ride the coastal commuter train, which carries riders between Oceanside to San Diego. The program will also sell preferred parking to Coaster riders who are willing to pay extra for the assurance of having a spot waiting when they need to catch a train. There will also be an additional fee for riders who want to leave their vehicles in a Coaster parking lot overnight.
Solana Beach Councilman Dave Roberts worried that the move to charge non-Coaster riders for parking would have unintended consequences.
"This is going to send these people into the neighborhoods," Roberts said.
But Encinitas Councilman Jerome Stocks countered that the board has a fail-safe lever to pull when the three-month trial period runs out.
"If it's really negative, we can kill it," Stocks said.
The Carlsbad Village and Poinsettia stations, and the Encinitas station on Vulcan Avenue, will be the first to adopt the new parking plan. If the board likes the results, the plan will be extended to stations in Oceanside, Solana Beach and Sorrento Valley.
Carlsbad Councilwoman Julianne Nygaard steered her colleagues back to the central mission of new parking regulations.
"We're trying to get Coaster riders a parking spot so they can get on the train and go," Nygaard said.
Contact staff writer Paul Sisson at (760) 901-4087 or psisson@nctimes.com.
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George wrote on Sep 18, 2008 9:02 PM:Since there isn't enough parking the best solution is to add more parking spaces, not to charge money to park.
Stupid wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:03 PM:Another stupid waste of money by NCTD.
Umm.. wrote on Sep 18, 2008 10:05 PM:Oceanside has the bus, three trains, the Orange county and Riverside county bus and Greyhound.
Try to keep track of who's using the parking there.
What are they smoking? I want some. It's obviously a good mask of reality.
Hamlet wrote on Sep 19, 2008 7:27 AM:Will they still allowing drinking on Charger Specials? The reason why this is important to know is that some parents are accompanied by minors and the knowledge might factor in as to whether someone wants to ride a Charger Special.
Reality wrote on Sep 19, 2008 7:45 AM:Parking will still be free for Coaster Rider, and the demonstration project is being funde by a federal grant not the NCTD. This is a chance for North County to "demonstrate" if some new concepts work, thus the name "demonstration project".
Bus to nowhere wrote on Sep 19, 2008 8:32 AM:along with the team to nowhere. How about putting the team as well as Spanos on the bus, one way to somewhere else!
Johny On The Spot wrote on Sep 19, 2008 9:38 AM:"I'll move approval as long as I get tickets for the Broncos game," quipped Oceanside Councilman Rocky Chavez
Typical Rocky Chavez. His "what's in it for me?" is par for the course.
John E wrote on Sep 19, 2008 12:28 PM:How do they plan to enforce the selective parking fee?
Joel wrote on Sep 21, 2008 12:23 AM:I agree with the comment that charging parking fees will drive people to park in the outlying residential neighborhoods. Most of the spaces in the Encinitas lot are taken by Coaster riders.
In Encinitas, we have a parking space shortage now, which will only get worse with development of Pacific Station, which is taking seven on-street parking places, and many feel not providing enough underground parking for the business and commercial tenants and residential owners.
Current Mayor Jerome Stocks and NCTD Board Member is not looking to provide the infrastructure, which includes water and parking, for the new development he is allowing and encouraging in Encinitas. We do not need to "revitalize" downtown. The City was founded to control growth, locally. Instead, development has been constantly expanding, pushed by politicians with development ties.
Please slow down! Don't take away any more public parking spaces by charging fees to Encinitas residents.
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