San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is ratcheting up his opposition to Sunday parking meter enforcement, telling KCBS that he refuses to accept any compromises, and that he is "only willing to consider 'no enforcement' and not more or less." But with Muni considering a budget that includes a fare increase for all adult riders, SFMTA leadership is reluctant to give up the revenue that Sunday parking provides. Who will win?
Lee has said that his opposition is motivated by the overwhelming number of complaints against the policy, but according to Streetsblog, public records don't support that assertion. According to a public records request, between March, 2013 and January, 2014 Lee's office didn't receive a single email regarding the meter enforcement. 311 has only received 41 calls and emails about the policy in that time period, with 23 of those in support of meters.
Even San Francisco's Chamber of Commerce is for Sunday enforcement, saying that they've seen the benefits it's brought businesses in metered areas. According to the SFMTA , Sunday metering has also made it easier for drivers to find parking and has increased turnover.
According to the SFMTA, Sunday parking meter enforcement generated $3,143,000 in revenue in 2013's fiscal year, and has made $1,869,000 in the first four months of fiscal year 2014. It's projected that canceling Sunday metering would cost the SFMTA an annual $9.6 million that they'd already budgeted for operations.
Meanwhile, the transit agency briefly considered raising F Market fares to $6, and still might raise all adult fares to $2.25.
This week, SFMTA director Ed told San Francisco's Board of Supervisors that he was seeking a compromise that would "not lose a 100 percent of all the good transportation benefit (of) what we believe is very good policy."
But Reiskin also appears frustrated by the competing interests, recently saying that “There’s going to have to be some balance between the revenue and expense proposals in the next couple of weeks.”
“Sadly, it looks as though the Mayor is playing political games instead of responsibly managing the city’s transportation system,” Livable City Executive Director Tom Radulovich told Streetsblog in January.
“Aside from the revenue hit to Muni, what’s disappointing about the mayor’s move is that the facts show that Sunday metering was working - parking availability and turnover increased in commercial districts, which is helpful to merchants and shoppers.”
The SFMTA board is expected to approve a final budget this month, after which it will go to the the Board of Supervisors and the mayor for final approval.