City Hall puts the squeeze on motorists---again

The story on the front page of the Chronicle this morning warns everyone who drives in San Francisco that The City That Knows How to Prey on Motorists is at it again. San Francisco already has the highest parking meter rates in the country, and it will soon have the highest parking ticket fine: $70!

The parking income numbers: According to the MTA's latest Transportation Fact Sheet, the city raised a total of $174,610,099 from its parking meters ($40,520,486); city-owned parking garages/lots ($38,742,622); parking tickets ($86,306,584); and residential parking permits ($9,040,407).

Note that parking tickets are the biggest moneymaker for the city, bringing in more than twice as much as parking meters and parking lots.

Even as City Hall exploits motorists as a source of revenue, it pushes anti-car bicycle projects (Panhandle bike lanes, Masonic Avenue, the Bicycle Plan, etc.) to make it harder to drive and park in the city.