SFist: A Newish Kind of Parking Ticket

MisterEvesham

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:35:15 -0800

Wrong Way parking was the first ticket I received in SF back in 1987. VC22502B Wrong Way Parking $45.00 The curbing your wheels law is for a 3% grade, not 2%....but who has a protractor with them anyways. I've been researching parking for the last 4 years in SF, and have concluded that all tickets are avoidable. It's the one's like wrong-way parking most have never heard of. Another one is the 100 ft rule. All parking signs are in effect for 100 feet. So, when you find that sweet spot, check up and down the street for 100 ft. It's about 8 car lengths. The City makes $100,000,000 a year on parking, and much of it goes toward funding MUNI. All of these little nuances are at www.findingthesweetspot.com. Check out the traffic code link on the links page for the unabridged SF Traffic Code. It's mind boggling. SEC. 10.2.18. PARKING ON GRADES. To Park a vehicle upon any grade or slope exceeding three percent without effectively setting the brakes and blocking the wheels of the vehicle by turning them against the curb or by other means. For the purpose of the issuance of a notice of violation of this Section, proof that an unattended vehicle Parked on a grade exceeding three percent was involved in a collision shall establish a presumption that such unattended vehicle was Parked in violation of this Section. (58(a)) (Added by Ord. 45-08, File No. 080236, App. 3/24/2008)

Rincon John

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:23:33 -0800

If you are the owner or lessee of the blocked property, and the vehicle is registered to you, and there are no more than two dwelling units, then it is legal to block the driveway. San Francisco Municipal Code Section 1004.

Rincon John

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:17:02 -0800

The requirement for curbing wheels applies to grades exceeding three percent, not two percent. San Francisco Municipal Code Section 10.2.18. You should protest if the actual grade where you parked is under 3 percent.

Greg

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:46:54 -0800

and don't forget -the state of California gets a cut of every ticket written in the state - they passed what was informally known as a "parking ticket tax" on cities, who had to raise rates to pay it off. Thanks, Governor Wilson!

strontiumJ

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:52:02 -0800

When the sidewalk parking tickets went to $100, the DPT increased the ticketing of motorcycles and scooters on the sidewalk, forcing them into street spaces thus reducing the number of available space for cars. Cars then start knocking over the bikes and the result is everyone angry. The DPT is only in the business of generating revenue for San Francisco. They care nothing about making San Francisco more livable. Fight every ticket you get from the DPT. They currently take almost 5 months to review a citation.

withak

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:13:42 -0800

Spysea doesn't post here enough.

spysea

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:57:02 -0800

San Francisco you asked for it, Hey just be happy every $45 or $50 or $75 DPT get you for goes to buy a few crack rocks for the homeless or feed this bloated socialist city... don't complain you voted in this stupidity

SFBurke

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:36:59 -0800

I don't think you can get towed for blocking your own driveway. Generally they will only enforce that if the driveway owner complains. I used to park all the time blocking my driveway in Noe and never got a ticket. Lots of people with two cars and a one car garage will block their driveway by parking parallel to the curb. (now if you block the sidewalk by parking in your driveway, you will get a ticket, even if you leave 6 feet of space for pedestrians to get by).

joshb

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:22:38 -0800

This is just not true. I call in cars on the sidewalk every time I see them, and have recently been waiting for the PCO to come by so I can see the resolution. No PCO, no ticket. According to Streetsblog: "SFPD Sergeant Steve Quon of the Taraval Station said he's not inclined to enforce sidewalk parking, except in instances where there are significant complaints. 'There are so many cars on the sidewalk on 19th Avenue, if we cited one, we'd have to cite all of them.'" http://tinyurl.com/79uk7v

withak

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:51:36 -0800

When you park on the left side then you are like 30 feet from the correct curb.

happybubbletime

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 11:23:47 -0800

I first saw this happening in Bernal Heights about 6 months ago. Looking more closely at the tickets themselves on some of the cars, they were for "More than 18 inches from curb." I guess that means more than 18 inches from curb on other side of the street.

diethylether

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:43:06 -0800

When a neighbor calls in a complaint (usually a blocked driveway or car on the sidewalk) DPT tickets every offense that they see in the area while en route and departing.

fizzandpop

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:33:48 -0800

Who the hell parks on the street? Can't you people afford garages?

whosthatdog

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:13:17 -0800

i've gotten tickets for not curbing my wheels before. the last one i got was on 4th avenue and hugo. i got there as the ticket was being written and i said 'what, it's totally flat!' and the response i got was 'if i tennis ball can roll down the hill, we can write a ticket' i now curb my wheels every single time i park. it takes about 1 second and makes me not have to fight with the city.

wsanders

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:50:36 -0800

They will also TOW you for blocking your own driveway.

barfooz

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:50:00 -0800

That's a useful site. The link is http://209.77.149.18/subdivision/keymap/keymap.aspx without the period.

SFBurke

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:48:10 -0800

These wrong side tickets are not new. I got one a few months ago. The ticket claimed it arose from a "neighbor complaint" but that seems very unlikely.

MauraAnn

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:34:00 -0800

I grew up in Noe Valley and these tickets are hardly new. It's just new that they are enforcing them off the beaten path. I got a ticket while I was unloading things from a trip with the car facing the wrong way. The ticket that you get is for parking more than 18 inches away from the (other) curb. I guess people will just have to go all the way around the block and face their cars the right way...the poor little things. That's life in the big city for ya.

mariconsoy

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:11:05 -0800

I learned through getting a ticket that "curbing" means just that. I had the car wheels pointed in the right direction, but there was a 2-3 inch gap between the wheels and the curb. The wheels must actually be TOUCHING the curb or they can still issue you a curbing ticket. Beware.

mariconsoy

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:06:01 -0800

what about people in wheelchairs? how are they supposed to get around a car that blocks the driveway's sidewalk?

withak

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:53:40 -0800

Why not just curb your wheels every time you park instead of having to look up the grade of every street you park on? Is there some horrible consequence of unnecessary wheel curbing that I'm not aware of?

manys

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 08:20:27 -0800

Interesting. Not only to see the numerical grade of the street right there, but in how my ticket was written. I just pulled it out and the infraction is "Hill Parking: Over 3%." So...why is DPT writing tickets in this intersection when their own maps show a grade under 3%? That is unless there's a curbing law for grades under 3%, making my ticket just an instance of clicking a wrong button, what basis is the PEO using in that neighborhood? How many other curbing tickets have there been there?

Belgand

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 02:30:35 -0800

Sidewalk? No. Driveway though? I'm going to say that even if it's technically not considered allowed I have no problem with people parking in their own driveways. Even if they stick out into the path of the sidewalk.

zstone

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:11:15 -0800

Wow, learn the regulations. There really aren't that many of them in regard to parking, they're mostly intuitive, and they're often posted on the street. If you were ticketed for over a thousand dollars worth of violations, I can only imagine how much you got away with. I'm glad you're off the road.

neigh-bor

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:17:35 -0800

I live in one of those neighborhoods and I haven't got a car. I don't think it is a a big deal if cars park in the wrong direction on narrow (slow) streets. I do however care when cars park on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk. I don't want to walk around your car, and I am sad that you chose to have a concrete front yard - but that doesn't mean you get to park your car on it. So maybe the city could raise money by ticketing cars for doing things wrong that actually matter and still raise the money they need.

DJBurrito

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:12:33 -0800

I have tried to acquire this so called information and guess what they had no idea. I called the planning department and they couldn't answer my question. I fucking loath DPT.

Elizabeth

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 22:24:53 -0800

You can also look it up yourself here- http://209.77.149.18/subdivision/keymap/keymap.aspx. The 1300 block of Van Ness (x Sutter) is 2.91% on the west side of the street and 2.92% on the east.

Schtu

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:51:38 -0800

You can call DPW Streets and Mapping and they will tell you the grade of the street. If it is less than 2% get the page number from the map and protest the ticket. I have had three dismissed because the grade did not require curbing.

Xenu

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:39:43 -0800

I've gotten over $1000 in parking tickets within the past year. (Yes, you read that number right.) I sold my car and haven't looked back. I can't afford being ticketed for "offenses" that, in most cases, I had no way of knowing I was committing.

manys

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:29:58 -0800

No, I know the curbing tix are common, and I've received one on my own street many years ago (which is very steep). This was on whatever street is just north of American Rag, west of Van Ness right at the corner. Literally the first parking spot. It was pretty flat, regardless. I even got there as the meter maid was leaving and we had a little conversation about it. He had no idea how people were supposed to be able to gauge the incline to know whether to curb or not.

jcsnotes

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:47:10 -0800

If you were on Sutter on one block either side of Van Ness, that ain't no 2%. Van Ness around Sutter is, however, pretty flat. Moral of the story is that "no curbing" tix are nothing new. These wrong side ones are. I think some sort of neighborhood notice would be nice before the informal rules of parking are changed. I'd liken this to DPT starting to ticket in neighborhoods when people follow street cleaners and park after they've passed even though the "No Parking" hours are still in effect. Not saying this is happening, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it soon.

mushmouth

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:32:35 -0800

I got a not curbing wheel ticket on the "hill" on scott st between Duboce and Waller, 5 years ago. I'm guessing one or 2 meter maids gives such a ticket, and they got moved that neighborhood, you probably just got caught for the first time.

sandheep

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:55:17 -0800

great...as it was, my car & motorcycle get hit at least annually due to (what appears to be) folks who can't do a 3 point turn without smacking another car. there goes the neighborhood.

manys

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:36:38 -0800

This used to happen to my friends all the time...in Pleasanton. As to the revenue aspect, a few weeks ago I was ticketed for not curbing my wheels around Sutter and Van Ness. The incline was like 2%!

davitydave

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:33:43 -0800

The city is trying to generate revenue any way it can at this point in the suck economy. Parking enforcers have always made an appearance in Duboce Triangle. Recently they began issuing tickets for not having your wheels turned properly in or out (depending upon which way your car is aimed on an incline) and they've booted two cars in the past 4 days.

zstone

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:59:33 -0800

Who can afford a $45 parking ticket in this economy? We know the city couldn't. It seems pretty obvious to me why they would start enforcing now.