Ventura, CA Transitions To Paid Parking, Under Mayor Bill Fulton

Like anything 'free', it's difficult to make the transition to charging, especially when you are City Hall, but pay stations are on their way that will apply charges on the busier streets to 10pm or midnight while the parking garage will be 'free'.

2 minute read

February 1, 2010, 10:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


The City Council of Ventura, population 107,000, voted Jan.25 to charge for parking on the busiest downtown streets, with revenue returned to the downtown for improvements and construction of additional parking facilities if necessitated. The aim is to keep 85% vacancy by varying the rates. Residential Parking Permit districts will also be enacted.

"People would be required to pay $1 for the first hour and $1.50 for every additional hour on both sides of Main Street. Initially, all city lots and its parking structure would remain free.

The goal would be 85 percent occupancy, (city Transportation Manager Tom) Mericle said, meaning there should always be one or two spaces available for visitors. If the number of people parking downtown drops precipitously, the parking fees could be lowered. If the fees have little effect, they could be raised.

The hours for paid parking would be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays."

From Mayor Fulton's blog: Managing Parking Downtown:

"By creating a system of paid parking, time limits, and residential permit parking, we can free up spaces along Main Street and elsewhere for people who are only going to be there a short time (or are willing to pay money to park there), while encouraging other folks to park in the lots and garages, which are free.

One of the big fears is that people won't want to pay the parking fee, so they won't park in the spaces, and businesses downtown will suffer. But the paid parking system we're buying allows us to adjust the parking fee to meet the market demand. Our goal is to have, on average, 85% of the parking spaces used, with 15% vacant.

Once in place, we should be able to manage parking much better than now; and you'll have the choice of paying to park in an extremely convenient location or walking a little bit to park for free."

[Note reader comments at end of blog. Mayor Fulton responds to some of them].

Sunday, January 24, 2010 in Ventura County Star

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight