Metro to charge for parking at some Gold Line stations

MONROVIA, Calif. (KABC) -- Metro will start charging riders to park at some Gold Line stations starting next week.

One of the reasons riders take the Metro is it's relatively cheap, but a new plan to charge for parking may change that.

On Monday, Metro will begin charging riders $3 to park at the Gold Line APU/Citrus station, the Irwindale station and the Monrovia station.

"It's essentially doubling the cost of ridership," said Will Labrie, a Metro rider.

Metro said the reason for the cost is to deter non-riders from taking the free parking spots. However, riders at the Gold Line Metro stop in Monrovia said that's not a problem there.

"I have not seen that as a concern, and there are at least two other parking lots within a one-block area that non-Metro riders could be using," said Mitch Rily, a Metro rider.

Now the question is - will these new costs deter riders from using the train?

"Yeah, I'll probably start Lyfting it to the station, because it's crazy to have to pay $3 every single day just to park here," said Philip Beltran, a Metro rider.

Fellow rider Monica George said she may go to a different station or have someone drop her off.

However, Metro said the fees have helped create 10 percent more available parking stalls for riders at the Red Line's North Hollywood and Universal City stations.