San Francisco: The predatory city
Parking enforcement vs. decency
Letters to the Editor
San Francisco Chronicle
July 1, 2012
I couldn't agree more with your recent editorial, "Welcome to S.F.---don't park here" (Insight, June 24), especially the phrase "misuse of law enforcement powers."
Two months ago, I was in the city parked behind a church to attend a funeral. When I returned to my car, it had a street cleaning parking ticket, issued seven minutes after the street cleaning time started and five minutes before I returned to the car.
I mailed to the city a copy of The Chronicle's obituary notice that contained the funeral's time, date and address. Instead of a dismissal, the reply read: "The circumstances you presented in your protest were insufficient to overcome the validity of the citation." The reply also threatened late penalties and warned: "Vehicle Registration Renewal will be withheld by the DMV as a result of failure to pay parking penalties."
It's a sad commentary on government when a $56 parking ticket is worth more to it than the value of human decency. I guess leaving a parking ticket on the funeral hearse would have been too much PR risk for the city.
John Molloy
San Bruno
Labels: Anti-Car, Parking, Predatory City, SF Chronicle
posted by Rob Anderson @ 4:09 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Now I agree that the city often goes overboard on some of this stuff. But basically this guy is complaining because he parked on a city street, in violation of No Parking signs which were in effect during the time when he parked, and he got a ticket for parking illegally as a result.
Attending a funeral should exempt one from obeying parking laws? How about an urgent doctor's appointment? Picking a kid up from child care? Visiting a sick relative? I sympathize with this guy's loss, but really... just park legally. I don't sympathize at all with his parking complaint.
"in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" - Ben Franklin.
OT: Traffic and parking in London will be interesting for the next few months with major events like World Pride 2012, Olympics 2012, and para-Olympics. New sporting facilities added, not so much transportation added.
"During the Olympics the traffic situation will be different to normal." -londontraffic.org
Another certainty: You anti-car bike guys will try to change the subject. What does this have to do with SF's predatory parking policies?
Rob, I oppose car hate like that in SF and London. London is deluded in thinking it can manage auto transit demand with congestion and other fees. The failure of this flawed thinking and instead only adding bike facilities and public transit staffing will come clear soon. Them terming miserable "different" and later claiming transit will take only 30 min. extra is delusional. Lessons from London can serve others how not to constrict mobility.
UPS and FedEx delilvery trucks park on the sidewalk of our neighborhood on the side of the street that is posted with "No Parking" signs. The street itself is one way and very narrow...such that the trucks hang off the sidewalk and can block fire trucks from access during emergencies. This occurs each and every day throughout the day. But of these companies HQs were contacted and did zero...in fact there response was call the police and if we are ticketed we pay the fine, it the cost of doing business. So what is the answer to this illegal parking?
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