Monterey County Supervisors move to pursue no-parking restrictions near Point Lobos.

In a 5-0 vote on Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Board of Supervisors approved a proposal to pursue safety measures along Highway 1 near Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, an area that’s been plagued by increased traffic congestion and safety concerns over the years as visitors park and walk in the roadway to access the park.

The referral, originally submitted by Supervisor Kate Daniels on July 21, calls for assessing the feasibility of establishing a no-parking zone along limited areas on the south side of the Point Lobos entrance, and working with state partners to repair a pedestrian bridge on the north side of the entrance. 

“This isn't an attempt to make no parking south of the entrance,” said Daniels at the meeting. “When a car's tire is on the shoulder and there is foliage, trees, or fenceline on the other side of those cars, or there’s no room, the only place for a pedestrian to walk is in the road. And that’s the situation I'm trying to rectify.”

More than a dozen people provided public comment about the situation, a majority of whom raised concerns about safety, increased visitation over the past few years and the urgency of managing the situation to prevent an accident. Point Lobos has about 360 total parking spaces—160 inside the reserve and roughly 200 along Highway 1—and sees more than 500,000 visitors annually, 85-percent over the annual capacity identified in the 1979 General Plan.

The board approved pursuing an Emergency Coastal Development Permit to immediately implement no-parking restrictions in areas with narrow shoulders on the south side of the entrance. Staff were also directed to coordinate with Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol to increase the fines, currently $28, as well as enhance the signage in existing no-parking zones.

Plans for the ParkIT! shuttle, a community-based initiative launched in 2018 to reduce congestion along the Highway 1 corridor from Carmel to Big Sur, are continuing concurrently, with the project expected to go before the Planning Commission sometime in October.

“The conditions we’re seeing today are markedly different from when this work began,” said Steffanie Gamecho, director of the ParkIT! project, during public comment. “What used to be primarily a weekend and summer holiday problem has become increasingly an everyday occurrence.” 

Supervisor Chris Lopez expressed concerns over enforcement, noting that the County’s Sheriff’s Department is stretched thin, and that park staff are often stuck inside the park due to the traffic. He also pointed to the experience at Bixby Bridge, emphasizing the difficulty of changing human behavior. 

“Are we going to K-rail this next? Is that where we're going to be in six months when folks say it's not addressing it? Let's bring out the K-rails like we did at Bixby?” Lopez said. 

Daniels pointed to Senate Bill 178, legislation proposed by State Sen. John Laird that could impact the future of parking in the area. The bill directs agencies including Caltrans, CHP, State Parks, the County of Monterey and the California Coastal Commission to coordinate on planning for safe coastal access near Point Lobos.

Under the bill, State Parks are required to prepare a comprehensive report addressing traffic congestion, public safety and public access at the reserve. The bill allocates $150,000 to help produce the report.

“We have more people coming, and so we need to address that with safe parking spaces,” Daniels said. “I think if we take action and show that we're serious about public safety, that our legislators will follow suit. Everybody wants to solve the problem. Everybody wants to make sure that folks get to visit the coast to come to these very special places.”