Pacific Beach Shore Club owner Billy Ramirez and the Ale House have teamed up to bring three new taxi stands to Pacific Beach. Ramirez said a surge of activity where Grand Avenue meets the boardwalk prompted him to look into giving patrons a more reasonable option to hail a cab. Previously, bar and restaurantgoers were forced to fend for themselves to get a safe ride home, usually after consuming a little too much alcohol. “If people have a couple drinks they shouldn’t be driving,” Ramirez said. “We want people to come down, enjoy PB, go out, enjoy the community but we want people to get home safe so they can come back again.” The Shore Club and the Ale House split the $500 it cost to set up the stands at the bottom of Grand Avenue. They also got some help from Discover PB in negotiating a deal with the city’s Transit Department to secure the taxi stands. It will be the city’s responsibility to maintain the two parking spaces from this point on. Two of the spots in front of the Shore Club were created by converting a loading and unloading zone and the other in front of the Ale House was previously a regular parking spot. Ramirez pointed out that residents and visitors will still be able to use that parking spot until 10 p.m., when it becomes a taxi-only destination until the early hours of the morning. The activity level where Grand Avenue meets the beach has gone up in recent years with the increasing popularity of the Shore Club, the Ale House and the Fire House, which is located across the street. “In the last four years, this area has picked up a lot of energy with us coming in, the Fire House coming in and the Ale House as well,” Ramirez said. “We thought with the volume of business it was definitely necessary, and felt there was room for it.” Ramirez said the added option for public transportation is a win-win situation for everyone and that he expects more establishments to look into adding nightly taxi-only parking in different areas of Pacific Beach. “I know a few of the other restaurants are approaching (the city) to get them done,” Ramirez said. “I think Miller’s Field has taken an interest in getting one done and Bar West, too.”