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If you want to park your car close to the Griffith Observatory, you're soon going to have to pay to do so. Beginning later this year, parking in the Observatory lot, as well as long East and West Observatory roads, and Western Canyon/Fern Dell road will be marked up to $4 an hour, according to the Los Feliz Ledger. No stress though, as you'll still be able to find free parking in other spots throughout Griffith Park, and will be able to ride a free shuttle from those parking lots up to the Observatory.
Although we don't have an official timeline set, Curbed points out that the new pay-to-park options will appear sometime before the holiday season starts. Considering it's already October, this means sometime within the next two months.
Griffith Park has a traffic problem. If you've attempted to drive yourself up to the Observatory on virtually any recent evening or weekend, you'll find yourself trapped in a gridlock of barely moving vehicles as selfie-shooting tourists stroll by. For more than a year, park authorities have been experimenting and trying to come up with a solution to the park's traffic malaise.
Back in March, park authorities announced that they would be expanding DASH shuttle service between the Observatory and the Vermont/Sunset Metro station to 20 minute intervals on Saturdays and Sundays, with the eventual goal of providing service 7 days a week. Park officials announced at the time, too, that parking meters would likely make their appearance in the park sometime later in 2016, though didn't provide specifics.
We know those specifics now, notably that the roads and parking lot up near the Observatory will $4 hourly meter spots. The rationale follows that by making people pay to park close to the observatory, while also providing free options (connected by a shuttle) in other less congested parts of the park, the traffic mess up near the Observatory will be alleviated.
The free parking lots are located in various spots along Vermont Canyon Road (Vermont Avenue's name in Griffith Park) and Fern Dell Drive.
