Beginning June 12, King County Metro will have extra staff monitoring park and rides parking lots with high rates of complaints and violations, such as Kingsgate in Kirkland, as well as Eastgate, Redmond and Northgate.

This is to make more room for transit customers and maintain a safe parking environment, according to a Metro press release.

Metro’s service quality section, which monitors transit operations and facilities, will be looking for violations such as parking for non-transit purposes, blocking fire lanes or transit operations, or parking outside designated areas. Once enforcement starts, drivers will be subject to two warnings and subsequent violations will result in having their vehicles towed, the release states.

In a Metro customer survey in 2016, 78 percent of respondents supported increased security and enforcement at park and rides.

“Metro’s goal is to ensure park and rides serve their intended purpose, which is to increase access to public transit,” said Christina O’Claire, assistant general manager for Metro’s planning and customer service, in the release.

Customers can park at Metro park and rides if they are transferring to a bus, vanpool or carpool. Based on past staff research and observations, Metro estimates as many as five percent of park and ride spaces are used for non-authorized purposes. At the Eastgate lot in Bellevue, where 1,400 stalls often are full by 8 a.m., this could mean up to 70 spaces, the release states.

Metro provides service to 137 park and ride lots totaling more than 25,000 spaces in King County, but many lots are overcrowded. Demand is likely to increase as two Sound Transit park and rides — Overlake and South Bellevue — close this month for construction of East Link light rail, according to the release.

Increased enforcement is one of several Metro efforts to create more park and ride space for transit customers. Metro leases park and ride spaces on available properties near transit hubs (provided at no cost to transit riders) and launched a carpool parking permit program in February that allows drivers with two or more regular transit riders (average of three days of ridership per week) to reserve spaces at any of six area park and rides, the release reads.

Metro also launched a new partnership with Diamond Parking Service that connects people with new fee-based parking on commercial and residential properties near major bus routes.

Transit customers with questions about Metro’s parking enforcement can call Customer Services at (206)-553-3000.