According to the SFPD and San Francisco's Office of the Controller, the number of tickets has risen over the past two years, "an increase that is projected to add $1.2 million to the cash-strapped city's coffers the fiscal year that just ended."

Wall Street Journal reports, "Through the first four months of 2010, the SFPD issued 50,102 tickets, roughly on par with the 50,586 tickets written in the same period last year and a jump of nearly one-third over the 38,314 tickets issued in the first four months of 2008, according to statistics provided by the police department."

Although the city spins it in a different direction -- "San Francisco doesn't alter traffic enforcement to raise revenue to close budget gaps ... Traffic enforcement is about safety, not budget," says a city spokesperson -- communities often ramp up ticket writing during receding economic climates.

While some people loathe police ticketing drivers, others in San Francisco often argue that carbon footprint-y cars deserve to pay their fair share, and then some.