SFist: Parking Meters to Rob Drivers of More Money

kareanderson

Wed, 21 May 2008 09:38:59 -0800

One positive note, at least while the "pilot project lasts, is that the pay-by-cell phone areas enable us to re-feed the meter when it is running low - getting an alert by email when it is. You do not have to go back to your meter to put more coins in. One of the three companies providing pay-by-phone to feed meters is zipidy. It offers the fastest way to re-feed - by SMS - one button. Also Zipidy (and maybe the others??) do not charge you until you go back to your car, and sign out via phone that you are leaving.

murphstahoe

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:14:52 -0800

@greg - how exactly do you propose that we accomplish the following without the side effect of "revenue sourcing".. greg says "Parking fines should be used to punish folks who don't pay their meter or are causing a public safety issue by parking unsafely, not as a "revenue source."

Greg

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:59:52 -0800

@murph: perhaps I was not clear. I haven't contradicted myself - I never said that they "should" raise the fines. Fines should ONLY be used for legitimate safety/law enforcement purposes, NOT treated as a "revenue source" as the MTA and MUNI clearly treat it. That's why instead of simply using them for their intended purpose, SF (and most cities) abuse parking tickets. You can go to my blog where I talk more in depth about this, and realize that despite the fact I ride MUNI, I don't know that treating people who need a car as satan-worshipping evil beings is good idea.

squali

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:01:30 -0800

In response to "This may be just what we need to start the citizens revolt against the devil that is "street sweeping". If you think about it, those street sweepers are about the least "green" element of the City's operations." Actually, street sweeping is the most effective strategy to fight pollution of the Bay and Ocean that surround San Francisco. Most of the pollution comes from runoff off of buildings and streets, laden with heavy metals, oils, and other crap, and a lot of it goes straight to the Bay without treatment. Street Sweepers are one of THE GREENEST things the City does, and much as the City would love love LOVE to have hand sweeping, talk about things MTA/DPW/Planning dream of but cant afford! Streets cost the City tons, and parking illegally, whether it be double parking blocking buses, parking during street sweeping, or just circling around looking for parking which costs EVERYONE tons (see "The High Cost of Free Parking, http://www.planning.org/APAStore/Search/Default.aspx?p=1814), people deserve to be penalized for screwing the rest of us by being inconsiderate.

bluecanary

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:25:47 -0800

It's FEWER tickets, not LESS!!! Sorry, pet peeve. Carry on.

writetojoel

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:18:16 -0800

spysea says: "Yep I like driving--but I don't know how to pay to PARK!!! My parking violation is a tax!!! I don't know what taxes are!!! I will PUNISH san francisco!!!! Yep!!! Yep!!!

aj

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:10:11 -0800

You could buy ... um ... Sausalito t-shirts.

SFist_Dan

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:41:41 -0800

Um...what is there to buy in Marin? I've lived here for some time and I've never once heard anyone say "I wanna go shopping...let's go to the mall in San Rafael!"

spysea

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:22:09 -0800

Yep just another TAX for the over taxed SAN FRANCISCANS .... I'll be doing my shopping online and in MARIN!

murphstahoe

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:10:28 -0800

Greg - You've contradicted yourself. You say that fines should be used to punish violators. You also say if we raise the fines, there will be LESS tickets. This implies that a whole hell of a lot of people don't consider the current fines much of a punishment, but if they were higher, they might start following the code. By your argument, if the fines are supposed to be a deterrent, but the city issues a million a year, they aren't a very good deterrent as is, and we should jack them up!

Greg

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:07:58 -0800

yes, there is a spending problem, one led by the Mayor last year, but no one likes to talk about that!

aj

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:42:38 -0800

They should make it easier to pay though. Those prepaid cards are nice, but who has time to go to 1 South Van Ness to buy them? Make them available citywide.

aj

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:41:31 -0800

Why not take mass transit to go shopping? Or suck it up, park in a garage, and pay the going rate? M&R missed the boat on this one.

reaubhat

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:23:15 -0800

There are just times when I'm a spaced-out idiot and forget which street I'm parked on. It'd be nice if I got one or two freebees on the street cleaning tickets with my neighborhood parking permit. I'm not trying to be a jackass by leaving my car there, as evidenced by the other 50 weeks I'm appropriately parked.

RinconHillSF

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:12:02 -0800

Only Elsbernd and Chu seem to recognize that the true problem with our City and County budget is a spending problem. Instead of looking for more ways to increase revenues, they should man up and cut the waste.

Greg

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:48:11 -0800

Here's what's really wrong with this proposal - in an attempt to get "more money" for the MTA, they're raising parking fines. Now, if everyone starts making sure their meter is fed during their time on city streets, ironically, they'll make LESS money off this proposal since fewer people will be getting those big tickets. Then they'll raise 'em higher and higher... More importantly, using parking tickets as a revenue stream is inherently risky and unpredictable. It's also using the criminal justice system as a de facto taxing system. Parking fines should be used to punish folks who don't pay their meter or are causing a public safety issue by parking unsafely, not as a "revenue source."

what

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:08:53 -0800

"push everyone onto delightful, clean, safe & reliable public transit." Dear Muni, Sorry for bleeding all over your clean seats the last time I got stabbed. I'll try to bring more gauze as a precaution next time. Yours, what

jacksevanroo

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:03:59 -0800

This may be just what we need to start the citizens revolt against the devil that is "street sweeping". If you think about it, those street sweepers are about the least "green" element of the City's operations. A fleet of hundreds of diesel-fueled trucks doing a job that could be done by hand, and done better. Look, Supes, we all know that street sweeping is just a farce to raise money. It takes our cash, hurts the environment, and, in the end, doesn't really keep the streets clean. Maybe we can stage a full-scale protest to: END STREET SWEEPING NOW!!!

murphstahoe

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:00:45 -0800

The meters won't be doing the robbing - the meter maids will. And they won't be robbing - they will be fining those who don't follow the rules. Pay the meter, no ticket, easy. M&R's article is crap. They are rabble rousing that people are going to start driving to San Jose or Walnut Creek to shop. The extra gas money/bridge tolls for someone from say, Marin, to drive to Walnut Creek to shop would pay for a luxurious stay in a parking garage in Union Square. Theatre goers? What Theatre goer is parked at a meter that has a max time that would expire before the intermission? If anything, increased fines are good for business because it improves turnover, making it easier to find a spot in the first place. People are far more likely to have a problem with finding a spot than paying the meter. I do understand the pain on the street cleaning tickets, having been dinged more than a few times for those. There is an answer for that problem too...

MalcoveMagnesia

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:58:12 -0800

I believe the general idea is to make San Francisco as unfriendly as possible for cars and their owners, and push everyone onto delightful, clean, safe & reliable public transit.