Meters in the hood: It's about the money

MTA spokesman Paul Rose in this morning's Chronicle:

"Meters are meant to effectively manage parking, which will help ease congestion, ensure parking availability and speed transit," Rose said. He downplayed the money angle, but revenue from parking meter fees and fines help fund Muni---a top priority in the transit-first city.

When they say it's not about the money...Yes, "the money angle" is the real story behind City Hall's eagerness to push parking meters into the neighborhoods. (Those who write about city traffic policy should stop using the "transit first" terminology unless they put it in quotation marks, since the City Charter definition of transit first has been amended to include bicycles. For the MTA, "transit first" now means whatever they want it to mean.)

According to the latest Transportation Fact Sheet, the city raised $40,520,486 from its parking meters. But the bigger payoff for the city is with parking tickets, since they made more than twice as much on tickets---$86,306,584---for a total of $126,827,070. The total from parking meters, tickets, and city parking lots listed in the MTA's budget is a whopping $276 million, which is 35% of the income in MTA's $780 million budget.  

Eastern Neighborhoods United Front represents Portrero Hill and Dogpatch against the city's plan to put parking meters in their neighborhoods.

Sign the petition against parking meters in the neighborhoods: