DRIVERS in a major US city are being hit with fines for parking their vehicles in spots they’ve used for years, in what’s being described as a war on cars.
Parking enforcement in the area has started to intensify with longtime “understandings” around certain rules being abruptly abandoned even minutes after confirming them.
GettyDrivers in parts of San Francisco are being hit with sudden parking tickets despite using spots they’ve been in for years (stock)[/caption] GettyFrustrated drivers have created tools to dodge tickets amid the crackdown (stock)[/caption]San Francisco has seen a multi-million-dollar increase in revenue from parking tickets over the last 12 months, per the SF Standard.
Cary Fulbright, a retired tech marketer, was abruptly hit with a fine after his 35-year arrangement with parking enforcement was suddenly scrapped without warning.
The arrangement appeared to have ended in April as he received a $97 ticket despite double-checking with an enforcer that he was in the clear.
“I asked, ‘Can I park? Will I get ticketed?’ And he said, ‘You can park. You won’t get ticketed,’” Fulbright told the news outlet.
But he received a ticket only minutes after parking.
“According to the Ring doorbell I opened the door at 10:11 a.m.,” he wrote in a post on Nextdoor.
“Somehow the parking ticket was issued at 10:12 a.m.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has ramped up ticketing since its enforcement team became fully staffed post-pandemic.
This, in turn, has reportedly resulted in millions of dollars in increased revenue, raking in $126 million a year.
However, many residents feel the new style of enforcement is overly aggressive and targeting specific violations – like parking on sidewalks, blocking crosswalks and street-cleaning violations.
Residents in areas like Potrero Hill, Pacific Heights, Inner Richmond and Excelsior have all reported sudden shifts in enforcement practices, including tickets for previously accepted parking habits.
Lydia Tomasini who lives in Poterro Hill said she has parked in the same spot for four years without issue until parking enforcement “became aggressive” at the end of March giving her an $89 ticket.
Her neighbor added she had parked the same (perpendicular to the curb) for two decades without issue.
And while some tickets, inlcuding Tomasini’s have been dismissed, others remain unresolved.
Fulbright says the SFMTA has launched a “war on cars”.
“I have an electric car, so I’m not a bad guy,” Fulbright said.
FIGHT BACK
Amid the growing tension, frustrated drivers have begun creating apps to help locals avoid tickets.
Minhao Zhang and Lindsey Liu have launched a Kickstarter to fund theirs, which reminds users to move their cars before enforcement arrive- inspired by the recent crackdown.
Meanwhile, Pablo Felgueres and MaryLouise Howell developed an app after accumulating $900 in fines, offering customized reminders to users for an annual fee of $14.
Both apps aim to provide solutions for drivers navigating the new, stricter parking regulation – and both have gained traction among residents.
AlamyResidents in areas including Potrero Hill say they have noticed a crackdown on cars (stock)[/caption] GettyNot all residents are frustrated with others citing safety concerns and saying the parking issue is out of control (stock)[/caption]But not all residents are frustrated, with Andy from Potrero Hill saying “the city let this get out of hand way too long ago.”
“Not they can’t get a reel on it,” he added, saying that pedestrians and wheelchair users “shouldn’t have to zigzag down the sidewalk”.
SFMTA’s Parisa Safarzadeh added that the agency is not engaged in a war on cars, rather that the city is the most densely populated by vehicles in the country.
“A lot of residents, including many who own cars, as well as businesses are frustrated by others not following parking rules,” Safarzadeh told The Standard.
“Parking enforcement isn’t unique to San Francisco — it’s a core service every major metropolitan city enforces.”
But the frustration remains and longtime residents, such as Fulbright, feel betrayed by the agency’s shift from previously lenient practices.
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