Night parking near AT&T gets hefty price tag

Drivers who park near AT&T Park at night need to start feeding their parking meter at night, effective today.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is debuting its evening and special events parking meter rates in the South Beach and Mission Bay neighborhoods.

Rates at parking meters in the area will range from 25 cents per hour on non-event days to $7 per hour for spaces close to AT&T Park on Giants game days. Rates will be in effect Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The pricing changes are designed to make more parking spaces available around AT&T Park and help reduce the amount of drivers circling around the block looking for parking.

On nights when the San Francisco Giants play at AT&T Park, parking meter rates will range from $5 to $7 per hour depending on how close drivers park to the stadium.

“Special event” rates will not just be in effect during Giants games, but for any events taking place at AT&T Park or in the neighborhood.

Drivers will first see the new special event rates during the World Baseball Classic at AT&T Park, which runs on March 17 through March 19.

The new parking rates are part of the transit agency’s SFpark pilot program, which determines parking meter rates based on demand in specific areas.

Besides the Mission Bay area, the SFMTA has already deployed its pilot parking management plan in several neighborhoods including the Marina and the Fillmore.