‘No parking’ signs at Big Sur’s iconic Bixby Bridge to go up this week

BIG SUR — “No parking” signs are set to go up this week at the Bixby Bridge in anticipation of Classic Car Week, Aug. 10-16.

Citing traffic congestion and pedestrian safety concerns, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted to move ahead with a parking moratorium on either end of the famous bridge in May.

The parking ordinance becomes active and enforceable immediately after the signs are fully placed according to Randell Ishii, director of Public Works Facilities and Parks for the county.

The moratorium will last for a 12-month period while long-term parking solutions are studied.

According to the County of Monterey, the new signs are consistent with the Big Sur Coast Highway Management Plan, which outlines a long-term plan to manage Highway 1 along Big Sur.

Vehicle traffic traditionally is at its highest during Car Week and, in general, traffic in the area has skyrocketed in recent years, especially after the reopening of Highway 1 on Jan. 14.

A 900% increase year over year was reported at Ragged Point, to the south of the bridge, according to the County of Monterey.

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Cal Trans also reported that restaurant and retail guest counts are up approximately 40% this year and that peak weekends see nearly double the traffic as 2025 levels.

Many of these visitors stop at the 714-foot-long Bixby Bridge, built in 1932, to take pictures, creating congestion in the area and public safety concerns.

The advent of social media as well as the bridge’s appearance in HBO’s series “Big Little Lies” are also commonly charged with contributing to the explosion of popularity. In 2019, the Bixby Bridge was ranked the No. 1 “Instagram-Worthy Destination for 2019 Travels” by the website Travelpulse.com.

“Cars parking over the fog line, people crossing over the road on foot, cars stopping in the middle of the road,” said County Supervisor Kate Daniels, describing the situation in May.

Daniels, who represents Big Sur and spearheaded the moratorium, said parking restrictions will provide an opportunity to reframe how visitors experience the area.

“Having lived here my whole life, I know what the experience of driving across the Bixby Bridge had been prior to the advent of social media, prior to ‘Big Little Lies,’ and it was an experience of driving between two cliffsides, along an iconic bridge, with an iconic bridge rail that allowed an unobstructed view of the ocean,” said Daniels.

“In addition to (increasing) public safety, we can take this opportunity over the next 12 months to really show visitors what the experience of visiting the Bixby Bridge is…it’s a trip across an iconic bridge. It’s not a destination.”