Missing signs, confusing discounts and ‘unpleasant surprise’ mar first day of paid parking in Balboa Park

The first day of paid parking in Balboa Park was marked by confusion and frustration for many visitors, and some urgent action by city officials — including announcing Monday afternoon that they won’t start enforcing it yet.

The announcement, which didn’t say when enforcement would begin, came after city officials acknowledged a series of mistakes they were busy trying to fix.

Aware that parking kiosks throughout the park gave no information about discounts for city residents, officials raced Monday morning to put stickers on the kiosks with links to an online portal about them.

The lack of information before the stickers were added had prompted many city residents to spend long periods of time Monday unsuccessfully scrolling through options in search of discount information.

While the stickers helped eliminate some confusion, they didn’t change the fact that city residents must apply online, pay $5 to have their residency verified and wait two days for that verification.

Officials also still needed to add signs informing visitors they can park for free for three hours in the 951-space lower Inspiration Point parking lot.

That problem can’t be solved as quickly, but a city spokesperson said new signs indicating that opti...