We used to live in the Cole Valley (well, technically it was Upper Haight but nobody likes to admit they live in Upper Haight) and during the weekend’s almost every drive way had a car parked in it, especially at night when everyone went out and about in the neighborhood. One night, around midnight, one of our crazy neighbors came home only to find a car parked in her driveway, blocking her from parking her own car in her very own garage. So she started screaming at the top of her lungs about how she can't get into her garage and how she's going to kill whomever parked the car in her driveway and how they spend all this money to have a garage and how they’re tired and not healthy and how they were going to get the car towed unless somebody came down. After about five minutes of screaming, somebody sheepishly went down to move their car. Crisis averted.
What does this have to do with anything other than being one of our favorite stories? Well, there's been an influx of driveway parking, especially in the Richmond, and Supervisor Jake McG wants a crack down. The main reason given is safety concerns, mainly that it's hard for the elderly and disabled to get passed, but one could say that it's worth a crackdown just because it's a friggin pain in the ass to get past those cars. It's such a bugaboo for Jake that he's been reporting scofflaws for the past ten years. Apparently, two addresses-- 605-607 Fifth Ave and 609-611 Fifth Ave-- are such repeat offenders that McGoldrick has put them on double secret probation.
The obvious answer, of course, is more enforcement. Just like it being the obvious answer to double parking and unpaid meter fees. Which makes us wonder where we're going to get all the money for all this enforcing and how we are going to enforce this while also also enforcing serious crimes but that's not our job to wonder about. We're also guessing that like the other car-related issues we have mentioned, the moment we start enforcing, we'll be overwhelmed by people whining about getting tickets and how dare they ding us for something we're not supposed to be doing?
Until something is done, if you want to tattle on someone who parks in a driveway, the number to the DPT is (415) 553-1200
add to digg
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
email this
add to facebook
add to del.icio.us
Extension 143. I wish they would fix their call routing to work immediately after answering, instead of having to wait until "For English...".
As for fighting more serious crime, getting rid of free illegal parking for criminals can make a huge difference. We in the Lower Haight hope the city figures that out soon.
In your piece you pluralize "weekends" as such:
during the weekend’s
you should fix that.
Amen. People that park on the sidewalks like that are non-thinking assholes. How are people in wheelchairs suppposed to get around - they get forced out into the street.
Able bodied folks should just start walking over the hoods of the cars.
Word! Double-detention for people who pluralize with apostrophies.
Back to topic: Double parking should be first, 'cause, y'know, it causes accidents. Hey Movers! Did you know you can call the city and reserve the spot outside your new apartment for moving day? They'll put up little signs and everything! Do it, and Fell and Oak won't be blocked by your U-Hauls every weekend.
And I love it when you politely inform a tourista that their car will get towed by your neighbor if they leave it in his driveway, they tell you to go f**k yourself, then you laugh at them when he does it. Enjoy your one day in San Francisco at the pound.
I am always worried about my dogs being hit by a passing car when I have to walk out into the street to get around some thoughtless prick whose bumper is kissing a garage door and blocking the entire sidewalk. At the very least stick the butt of your car out in the street and leave a little room for peds in the front.
The story about the screamer, while funny, does not support your point. Of course the city should prevent people from parking other people's driveway. I understand that they come relatively quickly if called. Likewise, if a car is blocking the sidewalk. But not all driveway parking should be prohibited. For example, I park in my driveway (not blocking the sidewalk) b/c my landlord uses the garage. I do not block the very wide sidewalk. In fact, I am increasing the available stock of parking in my neighborhood b/c I'm not taking up a street space.
You can park across your driveway if your vehicle is registered to that address.
Unfortunately the drug dealers also figured that one out -- the DPT will take anyone reporting a non-resident cross-driveway parker as a crank, never check the plate, and let the drug dealer park there indefinitely, like he has his own deeded space. The residents are often afraid to have them towed.
Yes, you can call the city and reserve the space in front of your building for the movers. For a big fee. And of course, the space is only reserved if the ignorant cop who takes the order remembers to turn in the paperwork (yes, this happened the last time I paid more than $100 for the reservation).
My guess is they're well aware they can reserve the space, they're just too cheap to do so.
My neighbor used to park his SUV on the sidewalk like this because it was too big to fit in his garage! I put the DPT on speed-dial and suggested that perhaps the suburbs would be a better place for him to live if he insists on driving a vehicle too big to fit into a garage. He has since moved :)
My pet peeve is people who park on the curb, but jut WAY into my driveway... so their car is in and sometimes thru the little red curb on the side of my driveway. No one seems to understand that that little red curb means "DON'T PARK HERE".
It's a busy street and even if your car isn't centered in front of my driveway, such partial blockage often makes it nearly impossible to get in or out safely. And if I tell people this? Ooooo-weeeee! I get a mouthful.
Goodness gracious. I remember quite well, when I lived in San Francisco, how annoying and inconvenient the sidewalk parkers were. I really felt bad for them because there was so little room between the street and the sidewalk to move around them that I had to stay close to their vehicles, and wouldn't you know it, that arrangement just meant my keys would scrape up against their paint jobs.
Truly a regrettable situation. Eight years on, I still feel a sense of sorrow. sigh
I do like the neighborhood people who park next to my driveway and leave a note with their phone number for me to call if they're blocking me. They never usually are.
Oy vey! I have my own blog and am sure I have mistakes, but "weekend's" wasn't your only one in this post. Come on SFist, get a copy editor or something.
"elderly and disabled to get passed" ... passed should be past.
"drive way" is one word: driveway
It's really funny to me that in a city like San Francisco, there are more children occupying homes then adults. I understand and agree that nobody wants to have their driveway blocked, I think we can all agree on that. But as for the claim that people in the Richmond block the sidewalk more then in other places of town, all I can say to that is investigate before you follow the sheepish crowd's opinion. I live in the richmond, am a car owner who does not block the sidewalk and parks in a driveway… ohhhh gasp....so why should anyone call DPT on me you may ask?
Well, i asked myself the same thing and what it comes down to at least half of the time for a towing or calling DPT to give tickets to cars in your neighborhood is Hate. Thanks for hating me neighbor. My car bothered no one, didn't block anyone's driveway because it's mine and was specifically placed to make it easy for peds and wheelchairs to get by. So, while this is all good and fun, what happened to communication, acting like an adult, and not tattling every time someone makes a move we don't agree with. News Flash, this is a city people. I've lived in NYC and never have I ever encountered so many bitter and bored people as in San Francisco.
Wake up, stop being an ass, and do something with your pathetic life greater then telling on parked cars... if a car outlandishly blocks a sidewalk, get mad, call DPT, do what you like, but don’t abuse the privileges we as citizens are given by keeping “DPT on speed dial” because in reality, you make yourself out to what you really are and the rest of us who are trying to actually benefit the world don’t have time for such petty shit.
The same goes for the fact that some people posting who took it upon themselves to correct the grammar of the article and basically indirectly attack the author of it. If you’re gonna be rude, at least do it boldly. Tearing someone down in a half-assed fashion just makes you lame. If you are one of those people, ask yourself, “ Did I have the balls to write this article?”. If the answer is no, which it most likely is, then back off this person and appreciate the fact that they are contributing. I may not agree with the article but I will at least give the writer props for standing up and saying what they think. Make our community better and more friendly so people like me who come from a place like NYC, that has a reputation for being unfriendly, don't move to San Francisco and easily state that this place is about as friendly as a dog infected with rabies. Hate me for saying all of this, go ahead, I've come to expect it. I don’t mind saying what others won’t and no matter what, I would never be able to hate you over something so small in a world so big.