The Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal in Alameda. The city will begin charging $3 for parking on select weekdays as part of a new plan aimed at managing peak demand. (Google Earth via Bay City News)

Residents and visitors to Alameda will start having to pay for parking at the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal during peak days, the city said.  

Beginning Feb. 3, a dedicated security guard will be assigned to the terminal, which will have $3 parking rates per day Tuesdays through Thursdays. Parking will remain free on Mondays, Fridays and weekends.  

The city said the new plan will free up more parking spaces during peak hours. The hope is that more residents and visitors take alternative modes of transportation to get to the ferry terminal, such as walking, biking, ridesharing or public transit.  

Parking will remain free at the Main Street ferry terminal, where the city said parking occupancy remains low.  

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.