What Can Locals Do About Less Parking Availability?

A new state law will mean that Long Beach construction projects will have to provide less parking spaces than they used to. The law was written and signed by the governor with the premise that the state needs to resolve its housing crisis along with getting residents to depend less on driving their cars and finding a place to park.

For those living and working in Long Beach, and for those visiting us, finding parking can be almost as difficult as in San Francisco, depending on where and when you look. That’s especially true for finding free or low-fee parking. It’s difficult enough to have your stress level shoot way up due to being quite late because you can’t find any parking. It’s always a good idea to tap into the resources that we have: finding some free and paid parking; and accessing public transportation and ride services to get around town.

Long Beach Post just reported on the passage of the new state law. Assembly Bill 2553 expands on a 2022 state law that placed a ban on cities and other local government requiring parking spaces at residential, retail and commercial developments near transit areas. AB 2553 expands half-mile zones around transit areas. The City of Long Beach will need to protect more of these zones in parts of the harbor front, around Cal State Long Beach and  near the 2nd & PCH shopping center and Alamitos Bay Marina.

That means more people moving in and working here and  more drivers in their cars hunting for a more limited amount of parking spaces. The hopeful vision of more people taking bus and train rides, riding their bikes, walking more, sharing car rides – including autonomous vehicle ride-hailing services like the ‘robotaxis’ being tested out in San Francisco -- are not how we get around these days, or what we can expect in the immediate future. We’re bound to be frustrated with traffic and not being able to find parking – or at least without having to pay a hefty fee at a parking garage or parking lot.

Parking and Transit Options

Long Beach Parking at www.parklb.com is a resource for finding perks such as where you can get free two-hour parking in the downtown; where you can use mobile parking payments in Long Beach – which does increase the convenience factor; an annual parking pass, which cuts down your parking expense if you’re a regular visitor to beach locations; and an interactive map that shows you available parking lots across the city.

There are three mobile applications you can download for your smartphone that will also provide you with information on available paid parking in Long Beach and the surrounding areas. ParkMobile, INRIX ParkMe and  Park Whiz do a good job of offering parking spots throughout the southland. Prices will vary, but it does make the driver’s life a little bit easier.

Using city parking meters is typical these days and  you can pay for parking time on a payment card. It’s typically a minimum of $1 for up to 30 minutes and  $2 per hour. The city also set up a Passport parking payment app that you can find at: www.parklb.com/passport-parking-app/

Finding free parking in the city is a challenge. The Parkopedia website is high on the search list and  shows you a small number of free parking lots in the downtown and  mostly parking fees that range from $2 for two hours to $20 for two hours (that one being at Marriott Long Beach Downtown).

Long Beach Transit (LBT) has won awards and praise from local riders for a few reasons. Having buses show up on time through regularly scheduled trips and multiple routes helps quite a lot. Fares are reasonable and you can get a TAP card to simplify the payment process.

LBT’s Dial-A-Lift provides ride services for the paratransit and senior communities throughout Long Beach and  it’s connected to Access ride services in other parts of LA and Orange counties. Dial-A-Lift drivers are trained in the needs of persons with disabilities and  transportation is provided in ADA-compliant vehicles, LBT says. Visit this website link for more information on DAL: https://ridelbt.com/dial-a-lift/

Being connected to the Metro rail system has been a plus for those who live or work in Long Beach and don’t want to commute and deal with traffic every day – or when attending special occasions like heading over to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for a football game or concert. You can take the city bus over to train stops on Long Beach Blvd., or other Metro stations in town. That’s where you’ll get on the Metro’s A Line to destination points in Los Angeles; or transferring over to other Metro routes and stations in the southland.

You can find free shuttle rides at the Micro-Transit Shuttle, which is operated by the City of Long Beach’s LB Circuit. One of the routes goes from downtown Long Beach to Alamitos Beach. The second route goes from Alamitos Bay to Belmont Shore. The five-passenger shuttles are all-electric and  operate on a limited time schedule, mostly non-work hours for leisure, downtime trips.

There’s Always Taxis, Shuttles and Uber

As for taxi rides, California Yellow Cab covers Orange County, and Long Beach Yellow Cab and Los Angeles Yellow Cab cover those cities and surrounding areas.

Independent Cab Company’s rate calculator reports that there’s a $3.10 base charge, $2.97 per mile, and $0.33 for every 37 seconds in wait time or traffic time. For trips from LAX Airport, there’s a mandated $16.50 minimum fare plus a $4 airport surcharge. Taking a taxi to and from John Wayne Airport in Orange County would be a lower fee, with only a $3 airport surcharge.

Shuttle bus rides are more limited these days, with Super Shuttle having gone out of business in 2019. Long Beach Shuttle offers a direct shuttle trip from Long Beach Airport (LGB) to Los Angeles (LAX) for $52. Metropolitan Shuttle and US Coachways do a lot of business in this region — offering buses to corporate events, sporting events, festivals, public rallies and  other destinations.

Charter bus trips are still desirable for riders. They can cost up to $40 per passenger for the whole trip to group outings such as wineries or a Hollywood tour. However, if you do your homework, it can be a lot cheaper. For example, we take a bus ride from the Lakewood Mall to the Hollywood Bowl and back for $7 per person for the round trip if you order ahead and $12 at the point of departure. That program is called Hollywood Bowl Park & Ride.

As for the popular mobile apps, Uber tends to be a cheaper ride than Lyft in California. A study by CashNetUSA earlier this year found that an Uber ride will be, on average, $1.16 less than a Lyft ride.

For the past couple of years, fares have stayed low in both the Uber and Lyft networks. You can find the classic expensive rides, but that’s well outside the norm. Be careful about taking rides early in the morning to an airport, or late at night on the weekend to go home after a concert or party. Those fares could be ridiculously high, as Uber and Lyft can get away with it because some customers will pay for it – that being the only way to get home.

Most of us appreciate having the Uber and Lyft apps on our phones for last-minute choices. You may need to pick up your car at a service garage and  you also need to get there quick and go back to work or to an appointment. Taking a quick look at available Uber and Lyft drivers and  the cost of the fare, can solve that immediate problem.

Jon LeSage is a resident of Long Beach and a veteran business media reporter and editor. You can reach him at jtlesage1@yahoo.com.