Marina Community Association
SFpark or SFpork?
The City’s Municipal Transport-ation Agency (MTA) has created a parking management pilot program called SFpark: “Circle less; live more.” The first signs of this program appeared a few weeks ago when Botts-type dots were glued to the asphalt at every metered space on Chestnut Street.
Several MCA directors met with SFpark project manager Jay Primus to learn about this. The dots are sensors, or magnetometers, that send data to a repeater that tracks cars moving in and out of spaces. This data will be analyzed to determine frequency of transitions (cars leaving and arriving). The next phase, which begins in May, is the installation of high-tech meters that can process smartcards and credit cards as well as coins.
The goals of SFpark are twofold: 1) to “reduce circling and double parking,” thereby decreasing congestion, improving transit reliability, and increasing safety; and 2) to “increase convenience,” making parking more available, increasing economic vitality, and resulting in fewer parking tickets.
After meeting with Mr. Primus, I felt skeptical about the first goal of SFpark. Primus stated that drivers circling for parking slow down buses and other traffic, causing congestion. Having lived in the Marina for a long time, I have observed buses stopping in the street instead of pulling into bus zones and pedestrians that do not pause at intersections to allow stopped vehicles to take a turn. I wondered if the MTA had studied Chestnut Street activities for a reasonable length of time. Cars circling for parking are not the major traffic problem on Chestnut.
My skepticism of Primus’s presentation led me to conclude that SFpark’s second goal – to increase convenience – is the true rationale for the program and that the increased convenience is a euphemism for “increased revenue.” Mr. Primus tried to distract us with the shiny object technique – pointing out how all the new technology is going to make parking easier. Not only will the meters take several forms of payment, but eventually will transmit availability information so that you can consult your computer, handheld devices, or even digital billboards for available public parking spaces.
However, the increased convenience stops with the installation of the smart meters. Thereafter, the negative impacts on our residents and merchants begin. Foremost, there are serious threats to traffic safety when people are encouraged to consult handheld devices while they race their cars to “available” parking spaces. Next, the new meters will enable the MTA to extend metering hours to nights and Sundays, increase parking fees during peak times, and quickly identify expired meters and, therefore, write more tickets. In fact, these things already are being considered by the MTA and are part of a separate pilot program for which Mr. Primus is seeking community input as this article is being written.
Many of our local merchants are concerned that their businesses will suffer because people will stay home knowing they cannot rely on free parking after 6 p.m. or on Sundays. Residents that live near Chestnut Street are concerned about traffic impacts around their homes as people look for free parking to avoid the extended fees on nights and Sundays. People who abstain from driving during the week, but who look forward to shopping on Sundays because they can park and be safe from the danger of outrageous parking fines, will think twice about their Sunday shopping sprees. Many Sunday shoppers are seniors who need the extra support that their cars can provide when they run multiple errands with lots of purchases, so they drive and park when there is no charge. What are they to do?
These are just some of the issues that will arise as MTA thinks up other ways to “increase the convenience” of parking. The MCA urges our residents to tell Mr. Primus that our community does not want extended meter hours, and that the MTA needs to make improvements in creating appropriate bus zones, yellow zones, and additional off-street parking spaces. Educating pedestrians about taking turns with traffic would be a plus, too. Contact Jay Primus at [email protected].
Oh, and the reference to pork? The MTA has been working on SFpark for two years, ever since it got federal funding. The Department of Transportation provided 80 percent of a $24.75 million grant. San Francisco had to come up with the other 20 percent ($4.95 million). Primus told us that the value of staff time was provided rather than cash. It appears one of the ways value was provided was by counting all available public parking spaces in the City. The City now has a complete parking census: 441,000 publicly available spots. Do we all predict that San Francisco wants to know how many spots there are so it can charge for them? How convenient!
Kat Anderson is a member of the board of directors of the Marina Community Association. You are eligible to join MCA if you are over 18 and a resident or owner of a dwelling within the Marina. Visit www.sfmca.org for more information.
Several MCA directors met with SFpark project manager Jay Primus to learn about this. The dots are sensors, or magnetometers, that send data to a repeater that tracks cars moving in and out of spaces. This data will be analyzed to determine frequency of transitions (cars leaving and arriving). The next phase, which begins in May, is the installation of high-tech meters that can process smartcards and credit cards as well as coins.
The goals of SFpark are twofold: 1) to “reduce circling and double parking,” thereby decreasing congestion, improving transit reliability, and increasing safety; and 2) to “increase convenience,” making parking more available, increasing economic vitality, and resulting in fewer parking tickets.
After meeting with Mr. Primus, I felt skeptical about the first goal of SFpark. Primus stated that drivers circling for parking slow down buses and other traffic, causing congestion. Having lived in the Marina for a long time, I have observed buses stopping in the street instead of pulling into bus zones and pedestrians that do not pause at intersections to allow stopped vehicles to take a turn. I wondered if the MTA had studied Chestnut Street activities for a reasonable length of time. Cars circling for parking are not the major traffic problem on Chestnut.
My skepticism of Primus’s presentation led me to conclude that SFpark’s second goal – to increase convenience – is the true rationale for the program and that the increased convenience is a euphemism for “increased revenue.” Mr. Primus tried to distract us with the shiny object technique – pointing out how all the new technology is going to make parking easier. Not only will the meters take several forms of payment, but eventually will transmit availability information so that you can consult your computer, handheld devices, or even digital billboards for available public parking spaces.
However, the increased convenience stops with the installation of the smart meters. Thereafter, the negative impacts on our residents and merchants begin. Foremost, there are serious threats to traffic safety when people are encouraged to consult handheld devices while they race their cars to “available” parking spaces. Next, the new meters will enable the MTA to extend metering hours to nights and Sundays, increase parking fees during peak times, and quickly identify expired meters and, therefore, write more tickets. In fact, these things already are being considered by the MTA and are part of a separate pilot program for which Mr. Primus is seeking community input as this article is being written.
Many of our local merchants are concerned that their businesses will suffer because people will stay home knowing they cannot rely on free parking after 6 p.m. or on Sundays. Residents that live near Chestnut Street are concerned about traffic impacts around their homes as people look for free parking to avoid the extended fees on nights and Sundays. People who abstain from driving during the week, but who look forward to shopping on Sundays because they can park and be safe from the danger of outrageous parking fines, will think twice about their Sunday shopping sprees. Many Sunday shoppers are seniors who need the extra support that their cars can provide when they run multiple errands with lots of purchases, so they drive and park when there is no charge. What are they to do?
These are just some of the issues that will arise as MTA thinks up other ways to “increase the convenience” of parking. The MCA urges our residents to tell Mr. Primus that our community does not want extended meter hours, and that the MTA needs to make improvements in creating appropriate bus zones, yellow zones, and additional off-street parking spaces. Educating pedestrians about taking turns with traffic would be a plus, too. Contact Jay Primus at [email protected].
Oh, and the reference to pork? The MTA has been working on SFpark for two years, ever since it got federal funding. The Department of Transportation provided 80 percent of a $24.75 million grant. San Francisco had to come up with the other 20 percent ($4.95 million). Primus told us that the value of staff time was provided rather than cash. It appears one of the ways value was provided was by counting all available public parking spaces in the City. The City now has a complete parking census: 441,000 publicly available spots. Do we all predict that San Francisco wants to know how many spots there are so it can charge for them? How convenient!
Kat Anderson is a member of the board of directors of the Marina Community Association. You are eligible to join MCA if you are over 18 and a resident or owner of a dwelling within the Marina. Visit www.sfmca.org for more information.
