Nearly 300 parking meters installed in San Ysidro near U.S.-Mexico border

For many drivers who frequently cross from Tijuana, the San Ysidro business district is one of their first stops, whether to check their postal boxes or exchange money at one of the many casas de cambio.

Beginning this week, street parking for some of those errands might no longer be free.

The city of San Diego has added nearly 300 metered parking spaces along much of East San Ysidro Boulevard. The meters went live Wednesday.

The plan, city officials said, is meant to improve parking availability by increasing the turnover of existing spaces and to prevent vehicles from being left in one spot for hours or even days - a long-running problem in the area, according to some locals.

“Those spots are very important for the economic business health of San Ysidro,” said Norman Jester, vice chair of the San Ysidro Community Economic Development Corporation. “When people can’t park there, they drive elsewhere to go make their purchases, so the local community and businesses suffer. This is the way to solve that problem by enforcing the parking.”

The new parking meters cost $2.50 per hour, with a $1.25 minimum for purchase. Parking is limited to four hours Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding holidays. Payment can be made at parking kiosks, via a mobile app or through text-to-pay.

The city posted signs in both English and Spanish to alert residents about the change.

City officials said they worked closely with local businesses to develop the project, which began with the adoption of the San Ysidro Community Plan in 2016. Revenue generated from the 286 meters will go toward transportation, parking and safety improvements in San Ysidro.

“Every dollar stays in San Ysidro,” said Jester. He said he hopes the money will go toward fixing potholes, improving streetlights and making the streets safer.

Parking studies were conducted to evaluate the need, officials said. The data found "continuous violations" in segments with a two-hour time limit. For example, a field study conducted on Feb. 26 and 28 found that 35% and 38% of drivers, respectively, violated the time restriction on East San Ysidro Boulevard between Virginia Avenue and Border Village Drive.

Some San Ysidro workers and residents said they have spotted vehicles parked on the street for extended periods of time. “Sometimes you want to park on the street but can't,” said San Ysidro resident José Luis Vélez.

Besides gas stations, postal boxes and money exchange houses, the business district includes clothing and shoe stores, tax preparation services, banks, car insurance companies, pawn shops and grocery stores.

One woman who works at an East San Ysidro Boulevard store recalled a time when there was a popular concert in Tijuana, during which many people left their vehicles for hours in front of the business, presumably to cross the border.

Many businesses offer off-street parking for their customers, and one business owner said she was worried that people would use those private lots to avoid paying for parking.

San Diego resident Tony Campos used on-street parking to quickly exchange money last week. She said she was unaware that soon she would have to pay to use the same spot to go to the casa de cambio, an errand that would typically only take a few minutes.

“Oh well, it is what it is,” she said, adding that she thought the hourly parking rate was a bit expensive.

Josefina Monge, who has lived in San Ysidro for 42 years, said she fears this measure could harm local businesses. “Many people don’t want to pay,” she said.

Monge lives on West San Ysidro Boulevard, where the city study also found high parking occupancy. But the study did not recommend adding metered parking "due to heavy mix of residential and commercial uses."

City officials said in a news release that "the goal of the parking plan is not to discourage visits to San Ysidro, but to ensure that limited parking spaces remain available for customers, residents and businesses throughout the day."

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This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 5:27 PM.