Supervisor Scott Wiener is not thrilled about how the SFMTA manages its enforcement of double parking.
A San Francisco supervisor is not thrilled about how The City’s transportation agency is managing its enforcement of double parking.
At a hearing on The City’s effort to enforce double parking at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee, Supervisor Scott Wiener said that double parking is absolutely rampant in The City:
“We have developed a culture of where many people think it’s appropriate to effectively leave their car in the middle of the street.”
Wiener said a single doubled-parked vehicle could cause traffic jams and delays for Muni:
“It is not uncommon to see a single-doubled parked causing a multi-block traffic jam in San Francisco. It’s not uncommon to see a double-parked vehicle block a Muni bus and even shut down an entire Muni line.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency not only oversees Muni but also parking and traffic enforcement, including citing double-parked private or commercial vehicles.
A report from the transit agency said that 22,072 double parking citations were issued in 2014 compared to 24,263 in 2013. Though the number of citations were lower compared to last year, it was not exactly good news.
Cameron Samii, the SFMTA’s enforcement manager, said the reason for the lower number of double parking citations issued in 2014 was because of a staffing shortage. SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said reduced staffing was due to attrition.
The report showed that double parking violations by commercial vehicles like delivery trucks decreased from 62 percent in 2013 to 52 percent. The number of citations issued to private vehicles though has risen from 33 percent to 46 percent.
Samii said that transit agency has done a number of actions including targeted enforcement on double-parked vehicles. He also said new and existing parking control officers are periodically reminded regarding The City’s double parking and bike lane violations.
He said parking control officers are told to not to ignore double-parked vehicles no matter what assignment, including those assigned to patrol the transit agency’s Commuter Shuttle Pilot Program.
Even Mayor Ed Lee got involved by asking police officials to crack down on double-parked vehicles last December.
Enforcement of commercial vehicles has had limited or short-term effects, said Samii. Commercial vehicles can only double park if there is no available legal space to park for loading and unloading purposes.
The SFMTA can cite commercial vehicles if they refuse to move into a legal space, creating a hazard for roadway users and bicyclists, not loading or unloading or blocking Muni.
Samii said some commercial vehicle drivers have now just accepted the citations as a “cost of doing business” in San Francisco.
Efforts though made by the SFMTA did not impress Wiener:
“I’m disappointed by the lack of double parking enforcement and the apparent lack of progress to improving double parking enforcement and making it more consistent. Unless we have consistent enforcement in double parking, we’re not going to see improvements.”
Wiener is asking for the SFMTA to return in two months with a plan on how it will improve its enforcement of double parking.
Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.
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Supervisor Wiener contends that double parked cars are the cause of Muni delays and pedestrian accidents? Perhaps someone should tell Supervisor Wiener that since 2009 nearly 4,000 parking spaces have been eliminated by the city. In addition both City Hall and the MTA passed a resolution that 20 percent of all trips
in San Francisco to be made by bike by 2020.
To meet this goal traffic lanes continue to be torn out and eliminated to make way for bicycle lanes, impromptu sidewalk cafes, and expanded sidewalks that often no one needs or wants. “The Wiener” then complains when people are forced to double park because the city is shrinking the parking supply? A 2012 investigation by SF Weekly argued that the Muni has systematically neglected upkeep for years and most of their problems are the result of management failures and inefficient processes. In fact 2500 MUNI drivers have filed a class action lawsuit against the agency alleging, “Muni “has a practice of designing its routes in a manner that makes it impossible for Operators to stay on schedule.” http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/late-fees-muni-drivers-class-action-suit-may-cost-the-agency-millions-of-tardy-dollars/Content?oid=2948881
So why is Supervisor Scott Wiener harassing city motorists and blaming them for City Halls failure to improve the agency. Maybe its time to reject arrogant power hungry politicians who are making it more difficult and expensive for residents to own cars in the city? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyQAy8PzgZ8
You want guidance? No amount of enforcement is going to change reality. People only follow rules that help them and make sense. When you set up rules to create chaos you get chaos. There is no way you can feed people and deliver internet orders without delivery trucks. They have to park close to their destinations. If the only parking option is a bike lane they are going to use that option. Enforcement officers are stuck in traffic too. They can’t be too obsessed with handing out tickets when they can’t move.
Yes and that’s why I fully support double parking too. It’s not like you could get rid of all parking and only allow loading and unloading. What would people do? Pay for a private space to store their cars? Use Car Share? Pah-lease!
Come on @sfparkfipoff we need your guidance on this one! Tell us this is nothing but tax revenue and it’s not to actually make the streets run smoother! Tell us about how MUNI has the worst on-time performance but somehow double parking doesn’t contribute to that! We need to know the unbiased truth that only you can share!
Speaking of unbiased truth… 2500 Muni drivers have filed a class action lawsuit against the agency because “Muni has a practice of designing its routes in a manner that makes it impossible for Operators to stay on schedule.”
Reported by SF Weekly:
http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/late-fees-muni-drivers-class-action-suit-may-cost-the-agency-millions-of-tardy-dollars/Content?oid=2948881
In fact Every single Muni driver is suing MUNI because of management failures and inefficient processes: http://sfist.com/2014/05/28/every_single_muni_driver_is_suing_m.php
The drivers also claim they’re being shortchanged for the time they spend performing post-driving inspections; time spent traveling from one bus or train to another when switching runs; or time spent heading fromthe bus or train depot to wherever they parked their cars.
But what about double parking? Come on we all want to hear why preventing double parking would ruin the city!
Older adults and children cannot be dropped off in the middle of the street. As the SFMTA removes curb parking across the city more people will be forced to double park to load and unload passengers.
Double parking is not the cause of Muni Delays. According to a Bay Citizen analysis tunnel traffic, automatically controlled by Muni computers, is a chronic source of train delays. The N-Judah line, for instance, was on time 52 percent of the time during the last six months of 2011. http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Muni-fudges-on-time-performance-records-show-3684760.php
There are no cars double parked in the Muni tunnels and the trains still arrive late and leave behind schedule.