FoGP logo

Zoo Pressured to Introduce Parking Fees to Griffith Park

CATEGORY: In the News |
On Mar 10, 2015

DSC02613In our public transit-deprived metropolis, charging to park in a regional park is tantamount to an admission fee. Currently, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo, a popular rent-free tenant of Griffith Park, is being pressured to introduce paid parking to the lot that not only serves its visitors, but non-Zoo recreationists and, at times, the Autry Museum. Protests have been lodged by several groups, including the Griffith J. Griffith Charitable Trust, that such a move is regressive and violates the spirit of Colonel Griffith’s stipulation that the Park remain a place of free access.

The ostensible reason for initiating the fee, increasing revenue for the Zoo, does not convince. The considerable expense of installing and staffing a fee-collection system, coupled with the report that Zoo receipts are running ahead of projections, suggests that at most, a minimal increase in ticket price will achieve the Zoo’s revenue goals without penalizing other park visitors. Likewise, northbound motorists on the 5 to 134 freeways already idling in weekend congestion caused by exiting traffic crawling slowly towards the Zoo lot, should not be further penalized by the increased delay that will be the consequence of fee collection.

So why the pressure to take this unwieldy and seemingly unnecessary step? The Zoo is a separate department of the City. It is not governed by Rec & Parks. Ergo, it is rarely top of-mind for general park users. Advocates for Griffith Park and parks throughout the City are concerned that this attempt to quietly establish paid parking at the Zoo is the prelude to instituting parking fees everywhere in Griffith Park — and wherever physically feasible in parking lots that serve our other City parks. Charging cash-strapped families and individuals to use our free parks is the last thing we need in these economic times.

Read the City Committee Report on Griffith Park Zoo Pay Parking

Read these community letters opposing Pay Parking at Zoo Lot:

Read Hillside Federation Letter
Read Los Feliz Improvement Association Letter
Read Oaks Homeowners Association Letter
Read Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Letter

Also see Keeping Griffith Park Free: with $5 Parking?

Comments

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related ARTICLES

Slicing and Dicing Griffith Park

Slicing and Dicing Griffith Park

Looking at a Southern California Automobile Club map of the Los Angeles Freeway system from a few years back, it’s easy to see how freeways have affected the Los Angeles community, and not in a good way. Granted – these roads have made our commute faster – or have...

read more
Mariposa Street Bridge: A Unique Historic Place

Mariposa Street Bridge: A Unique Historic Place

California has more horse-flesh and more horse people than any place in the country outside of Kentucky… And the holy ground, the mystic Mecca, the sanctified gathering place for the initiate is out Griffith Park way, north of Los Feliz Blvd., along the banks of that...

read more
Raptor Study Final Report

Raptor Study Final Report

Of the many scientific surveys and studies Friends of Griffith Park (FoGP) has sponsored over the last decade-plus, the Los Angeles Raptor Study is the standout in both the scale of data collected and the duration of study period. Many thousands of data-points have...

read more
Translate »