April 28, 2011

Fair Warning: DPT To Crack Down On Sidewalk Parking

Jersey St.
We learn from the SFPD Ingleside Station that the DPT will step up enforcement of Section 22500(f) of the California Vehicle Code, more commonly known as "parking on sidewalks." The DPT appears to believe that enforcing a policy last updated in February of 2010 will help close SFMTA's budget deficit (which we're not getting into here). In short:
Vehicles parked on sidewalks constitute an inconvenience for pedestrians and a hazard for people who are blind or otherwise visually impaired. Officers are to renew their efforts to cite violations...to discourage this ongoing and increasing problem.
Section VC2200F states: "No person shall stop, park or leave standing any vehicle whether attended or unattended, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with the directions of a peace officer or official traffic control device..." DPT will collect $105 each time you stop "even for just one minute." We're going to go ahead and assume that Whole Foods customers will be exempt.

A full list of all parking fines is available here. Keep a copy in your glove box so you can choose the cheapest late-night option.

36 comments:

murphstahoe said...

QFT - "I'm too busy cutting secret backroom deals to ruin your life to argue here" - murphstahoe

Anonymous said...

Please start with Dolores Street - it's a daily occurrence that I encounter a parked car or worse, a car driving halfway down the block ON THE SIDEWALK to park. This is just plain stupid for drivers to think it's okay to drive down a sidewalk.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU SFMTA!! Please start enforcing sidewalk parking citywide. Let's have sidewalk for walking not parking!

Anonymous said...

I totally support this and will call in any sidewalk parking I see. I have some neighbors who do this constantly and it's time to stop.

We're watching you now.

Anonymous said...

I'm all for it. They should enforce this policy in the Sunset and the Richmond. They'd be awash in cash. Surplus baby!

Anonymous said...

How do you report a violation.

One of the worst areas is on San Jose Ave right by Ingleside Station.

murphstahoe said...

DPT Parking Enforcement.

Parking Enforcement: 415-553-1200

Anonymous said...

Thank you @murphstahoe. And after calling parking control, punch #1 #5

After reading Mr Anonymous Editor's dripping sarcasm, it's nice to know that all 8 readers did't assume this is just an excuse to steal our money.

Respect pedestrians or pay the price.

@Mic

Anonymous said...

What?? Only $105? I thought it was supposed to go up to $150. Is someone at MTA dyslexic?

Anonymous said...

Fines seem draconian.

My dog poops on the sidewalk and some people hate that. Some people park on the sidewalk and I hate that. So I'm training my dog to only poop on the sidewalk where cars are parked. Cancels out.

Anonymous said...

And when I see your dog poop on my sidewalk, I take a picture with that little tiny camera hidden at the corner of my porch.
And then I watch carefully from my window, and when you are far enough away I scoop up your dog shit and put it in a little bag and discretely follow you to your house. Once you are inside your home, I, very discretely take the dog shit out of the bag and

SMEAR IT ON YOUR FRONT DOOR HANDLE AND INTO THE LOCK.

That shouldn't be too hard to clean up.

Anonymous said...

In the Sunset there are some truly moronic drivers who not only park on the sidewalk but do so in fashion to force the walkers into the streets. And, while we are at it,what about the "workers" who think that just becasue they are on the job they are exempt from the rules. I say "yes" to more enforcement.

Anonymous said...

At the end of a long day of work, many home owners in San Francisco have a choice: do I block a few feet of sidewalk with the tail end of my car or do I lug groceries up two steep hill blocks in the name of keeping the sidewalk clear. For most, it is a no-brainer...these are residential streets of private homes. Many of these homes were originally sold with the driveway as a legal parking place. I don't disagree that driveways that just take up sidewalk are not fair game for parking, but if someone's bumper sticks out a few feet, is it really hurting anyone? Most blocks in Noe Valley have fewer than three pedestrians walking down the street at any one time. Shouldn't the laws reflect the city we actually live in, and not an unrecognizably cosmopolitan fantasy land that I, as a Noe Valley resident, have yet to see. We live in an urban suburb -- can we be real about this with our policy?

Anonymous said...

Cry me that river while you are cutting a check. AND cleaning poop off your car's door handle.

Anonymous said...

"but if someone's bumper sticks out a few feet, is it really hurting anyone?"

I've heard that tone before. From every hipster who says "If I am coming up to a 4 way stop and there is nobody there, and I run the stop sign, is it really hurting anyone?"

We have homeless people living in San Francisco, and they will sit or lie on the sidewalks. That is the city we live in. So if that's the city we live in, we are we putting in laws like sit/lie because of some cosmopolitan fantasyland?

etc... etc... etc...

As you sow, so shall you reap. And I've been to the suburbs, Noe Valley is no Walnut Creek. We put 10 houses in the same amount of land that they put 1 house in.

Michael Donk said...

"If I'm coming up to a 4-way stop..." Amen, I've seen bicyclists cause peds to dodge them in crosswalks (with the walk signal) everyday in the wiggle and elsewhere. Cars parked halfway into a private garage should be left alone. The Chinese restaurants' delivery people (namely their children) park parallel to the building on the sidewalks on Monterey Blvd. Everyone's got a key in their pocket, don't they?

Anonymous said...

"Cars parked halfway into a private garage should be left alone"

"M": I've ever seen that happen. Do you mean halfway into the public sidewalk? In the same breath you suggest that peds just "key" the cars that block their path. You're all over the map on this one. @Mic

Anonymous said...

hey anon @ 12:56.

Guess what? you're lazy. I don't care if you had a "long day" at work. I don't care if you have groceries to lug up a damn hill.

You should do it because that's what GOOD citizens do, instead of thinking solely of themselves, like you do. And yes, it is a NO brainer to do what's right.

When I see cars like yours stick out on my walks in Noe (my neighborhood too), I slap a pre-glued sticker on the car windshield that shows the LAW and that you are PARKING ILLEGALLY.

Park in your damn garage, or get a shorter car, or park on the street in a legal space. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

It does sound like this is just an attempt to raise revenue.

If cars are really creating a problem by blocking a side walk -- and no doubt they sometimes do -- then people can call and complain.

But if the sidewalk is wide and there is plenty of space for people to get by, then I don't think DPT should be issuing tickets just to raise revenue. People often need to park like that and it really doesn't cause any inconvenience.

I know the anti-car people like to make life miserable for those evil people who use cars. But rather than being quite so righteous, they should consider whether they really want to tag their neighbors with a $105 fine.

Anonymous said...

Not about being "righteous" at all. It's about understanding that sidewalk blocking is not legal..and it creates a hazard for walkers and moms with strollers.

I see this all the time in Noe; you have to end up walking around the car OUT into the street.

I won't hesitate to call it in to DPT and give them a ticket. It's about living in a civilized society and living respectfully in a dense city.

Anonymous said...

What a bunch of joyless, needling policy-enforcers so many of you are. Of course in extreme cases of cars obstructing the sidewalk, those driver's should be ticketed. But a zero tolerance policy? Are the people posting here actually the same monsters that report cars and CREATE parking tickets, as if there weren't enough to begin with? These are your neighbors. I would never dare create a ticket for someone I see regularly, maybe even wave to. What's the point of living in a warm, friendly, communal place like Noe Valley if we anonymously fine our neighbors instead of just mentioning our grievances to them. Honestly, a well-worded conversation about a parking violation does not constitute a major confrontation and it's a lot nicer than hitting your neighbors with a fine. Is it possible that Noe Valley's community activist bent is actually the anti-community, as we turn our backs on those residents who we feel don't use the neighborhood correctly.Maybe the reason people park on the sidewalk and don't get reported in the Sunset is not because of some blase or ambivalent attitude toward their neighborhood, but rather, because they have their basic humanity (and lack of community activists?) tells them instinctively that it's wrong to go out of your way to unnecessarily hurt your neighbors.

murphstahoe said...

Dude - chill.

All the blather here, has there been a wave of tickets? I've seen some brutal parking, completely blocking the sidewalk on the 20% grade of Douglass while I was walking a stroller down the hill - it was very hard to get by. SUV's obstructing the view of stop signs and almost causing pedestrians to get run over. Never called one in. Why bother. The fine wouldn't change the behavior. I'm not talking about "annoying" parking, I'm talking about "dangerous" parking. Screw it.

We know exactly how a well worded conversation goes around here. I got in front of the whole neighborhood and gave my honest opinion on why I thought a closure of Noe Street would be a good idea. Disagree? I got the raspberry from my warm communal neighborhood, in public. If I knocked on someone's door and told them to move their car, they are blocking the sidewalk? That'd go over like a ton of bricks.

If you are so concerned about being neighborly, clear your garage and park inside or circle until you find a spot.

Anonymous said...

The picture shows moderate parking on a sidewalk.
Why didn't you post a picture of a car blocking the whole sidewalk? Yes, that happens, a lot! There are a lot of examples in Noe.
The driver leaves 1.5 foot of the sidewalk for pedestrians to get around their car, either in the front or in the back. This part of the sidewalk is often uneven and maneuvering a stroller around makes it even more "exciting". Dangerous too, if one has to sidestep onto the street.
Don't know how often I just thought about walking right over their cars.

Seems those people only care for themselves and $105 is still not enough.
Again, I'm not talking about cars leaving plenty of space for pedestrians.

Anonymous said...

What's with the "dude-chill" opening line?

We're not a bunch of surfers about to curl a wave out at the Banzai Pipeline...:)

But I do agree with this simple rule to end all the noise and bs and whining:

If you have a garage, use for YOUR CAR. If no garage then park on the street legally.

Anonymous said...

If you have a garage, use it for YOUR CAR. If no garage then park on the street legally.

well put...simple.

murphstahoe said...

What's with the "dude-chill" opening line?

Whole Foods is carrying Anderson Valley Brewery's Tripel Ale, and I had downed the entire 4 pack. We're moving to Jersey Street and I had to celebrate.

Anonymous said...

So you're moving down..in Noe? Jersey is not back but it's not the real Noe.

I always assumed you drank Corona Lite.

Brooke & Jez said...

I used to be really annoyed at illegal parking, but then I realized... if they're parked illegally, that means more legal parking for me! Yay!

Anonymous said...

You can tell from the comments who actually work for a living and pay taxes that support this city, and who are the deadbeats with time to do nothing but complain all day.

If I get home at night after a 12 hour day and the nearest legal parking spot is three blocks away, downhill, you are darn right I will park like the car in the picture (i.e., NOT blocking the sidewalk entirely, just taking up part of it).

It's hyterical to me that the same people that are saying that it is "lazy" to not want to walk two blocks uphill with groceries are the same people who are too lazy to move six inches to the side and walk around a car.

Unbelieveable.

Anonymous said...

You will be first against the wall when the revolution comes.

Unless we all get raptured of course.

Anonymous said...

Actually, we work so hard we have a garage in which to park our cars. If you are working 12 hour days and don't have your own garage, maybe you should go take some classes or something and get a better job.

johnnyawe said...

Sidewalks are for people, not cars. I fully support reporting any cars partially blocking the sidewalk.

Anonymous said...

Lets be reasonable. The car in the picture above is not blocking the sidewalk. A pedestrian with a stroller would have more than enough sidewalk to work with. Blocking the entire sidewalk is one thing. Tickets should not be issued for instances like this picture.

Anonymous said...

I am a handicap. It has changed so much through the years I've been born and raised in San Francisco.

It once was easy for me to simply park my car in front of my house with plenty of parking. Now with houses that own more than one car the realistic truth is that we can't. Then combined with the visitors and tourist, no wonder there is no parking.

It is a battle between having to own a car now or commute to work. And as I reached my retirement age, it appears that the city government has been winning.

We can boycott helping the city as drivers by reducing productivity, reduce gas purchases and receiving no revenue, and no sideway tickets.

We can then ticket more bikers that don't stop on stop signs while driving on the streets, as if, they don't apply to street rules too.

We should think more of ticketing bicyclist more because they are a growing population and must be reinforced. I seen pedestrians and bikes going at it more violently then a car passing by honking.

So if this is a place to complain, lets complain about something else besides telling people what they can and can't do. If they do it, they get a ticket... so what we no longer live in a free country. It has never been free!

Lastly, own a car first and work long days and had the convient of parking in front of your house before telling someone they can't have that no more. First listen and then learn how it feels to me revoked from doing something or having something before telling others what to do. Either offer a solution or nothing at all.

TAX THE BICYCLIST! GET THEM TO REGISTER THEIR BIKES SO DPT CAN TICKET THEM TOO!

Anonymous said...

Homeowners are responsible for sidewalk repairs. The sidewalk in front of my house was sinking only where neighbors park on it everyday. The city sent me a letter saying I had to repair the sidewalk. It cost me a total of $7000.00 to have it repaired!! This is hardly fair since I never park on the sidewalk. Think about that the next time you get a ticket for parking on the sidewalk. I used to let it slide but not anymore. If you park on the sidewalk in front of my house now you will get a nice note explaining this, if you do it again I will call and have you ticketed.

Anonymous said...

Parking in your own driveway of your home and blocking a little bit of the street shouldn't create such a problem. I understand that some driveways were built small and cars/trucks are built huge now. I also understand people like to walk around the neighborhood. If we can all get along and come to a solution like, people with small cars park on there driveways and leave the street parking for the big cars/trucks or people that like to walk around the neighborhood, take your walking to the park, beach, trails, or any other place with the space you need. also if your car/truck fits in your garage park it in that is what a garage is for, not a storage place/extra room etc.we are all humans and helping each other is one of our strong suits. I hope we can come to a solution. Come up with one instead of dividing us..thanks