'People think rules don't exist,' warns official as city launches huge parking crackdown – drivers face fines of $110 | 38694W5 | 2024-04-22 12:08:01
DRIVERS have been warned to be careful where they park – even if they've parked in the same spot for years.
City authorities express frustration with residents acting like "parking rules don't exist."
During the pandemic, San Francisco, California suffered a drastic shortage of parking enforcement staff, resulting in many illegal parking jobs not being penalized.
As of April 16, however, the city's enforcement team has increased – and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Director Jeffrey Tumlin said the days of relaxed parking enforcement are over.
Even if drivers have parked in the same spot repeatedly without issue, the parking situation should be seriously evaluated.
Otherwise, drivers may be shocked by a three-digit parking ticket.
"In many San Francisco neighborhoods, given the scarcity of parking control officers that we have faced for several years, there are people who think that the rules don't exist," Tumlin said during a SFMTA board meeting, quoted by The San Francisco Standard.
"We want to get the word out that we are finally able to start enforcing the rules."
San Francisco is home to the most expensive parking tickets in the country, with standard tickets ranging from $76 to $110.
If a boot needs to be removed from a vehicle, that comes with a $550 price tag according to city data.
The agency plans to have parking enforcement officers focus on one district for a week.
With the plethora of tickets expected to be issued, drivers will be encouraged to pay special attention to where and how they park.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> Micahel Roccaforte, a spokesperson for the SFMTA, said that officers are instructed to prioritize safety-related citations, like blocking sidewalks, bike lanes, or obstructing crosswalks.
"People who park on the sidewalk, in bike lanes or in a crosswalk put pedestrians and bicyclists at risk by forcing them into traffic or obstructing people using wheelchairs or other mobility devices," reinforced a spokesperson for the Mayor's office.
They will also enforce the city's most recently instated parking law called, "Daylighting."
The law requires drivers to provide extra space before crosswalks and intersections to increase driver visibility of pedestrians.
With the new law, the city's goal is to reduce serious injury or death to pedestrians as they cross the street.
<!--googleoff: all--> <blockquote class="article__quote"> </blockquote> <!--googleon: all--> Homeowners of the city have woken up to tickets on vehicles parked in their driveway for partially blocking the sidewalk as part of the city's crackdown, too.
Molly Calcagno was cited for $108 after she parked her Chevy Bolt EV in the driveway to charge it.
The rear end of the compact EV was partially blocking the sidewalk.
"I think there needs to be some reasonableness," she told the outlet in a previous article.
She can't park her Bolt in the street to charge it, and the one-car garage is usually charging her family's second EV.
Since running an extension cord from her home across the sidewalk to her car is illegal, she has no choice but to park in the driveway and risk a ticket.
"I don't want to get sued," she said.
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