Parking Meters in Potrero Hill

[jim wilkins]

Hi Neighbors,

I don't know how many of you have read the news about MTA's proposal to install parking meters in our neighborhood. This proposal, if carried out, will add parking meters directly in front of our residences. The attached document describes the proposed plan (see figure 13)Draft-Mission-Bay-Parking-Management-Strategy-10.28.11.pdf along with information about the meters themselves. Under the proposal, these meters will be active between 9am and 11pm. Therefore, if you live in the affected areas and park on the street, it will effectively require you to pay metered parking in front of your home. I find this an outrage and plan to start a petition and to develop an effective counter-strategy. There will be an upcoming SFMTA meeting for "public comment". This meeting has not yet been scheduled, but for more information on this proposal please see the attached PDF and/or contact and send comments to Jay Primus ([e-mail]). We have already contacted Supervisor Cohen's office : [e-mail] and are waiting to hear back from her.

[Keith Burbank]

Dear Potrero Boosters:

Hi.  Thank you for your help.  My name is Keith Burbank.  I am a writer for The Potrero View.  I have been covering the parking issue for the paper.  I have created a blog to provide more frequent updates to the issue.  The address of the blog is parkingmeterupdate.blogspot.com.  I hope this helps.  Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Keith Burbank

[e-mail]

[Jack Doyle]

I will be attending the hearing on Friday and will also be at the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association meeting tomorrow from 7 to 9 at 654 Minnesota.

Last week I attended a meeting at 17th and Alabama about the proposed meter installation project over in that area. Both Mission Bay Parking Management Plan and 17th & Folsom Parking Management Plan are on the agenda for Friday's hearing.

Things are getting inceasingly hard for us folks who have lived and worked in the city for years. The reach of the meters will become longer and longer unless residents rise up and say enough.

[Sean Angles]

Hi Jim,

I and neighbors at 18th & Arkansas Homeowners Associate are interested to provide written opinion and attend the Friday January 13 hearing.

We'd like to coordinate our efforts with you.  May I ask you to contact me:  Sean Angles  [phone]   [e-mail] .

We are concerned that proposed new parking restrictions will significantly impact our 18th & Arkansas street parking availability which will continue as an unrestricted parking area.  Commuters accustomed to free parking in the proposed zones and residents who won't purchase stickers are likely to move their vehicles to our immediate streets adjacent to the proposed restricted zones.

Some have already noticed the parking impact on our immediate streets after the recently expanded residential parking sticker zone around Jackson Park which artificially pushed a problem up the hill to us.

I think the SFMTA plan is misguided in its unmentioned scheme to generate fresh revenues from meters, stickers and fines while pretending to discourage private cars.  Because our neighborhood is poorly serviced by Muni (made worse by recent schedule cutbacks) as well as the lack of off street parking, commuters face very limited alternatives to street parking.  Also despite new meters installations, parking enforcement revenues continue to slide since its 2005 peak.

Parking meters, restricted time zones, enforcement officers and tickets will permanently alter the character of Potrero Hill.  It will impose an undesirable urban hassle on our neighborhood quality.  Guests who now drive to visit our homes may think twice before coming when parking becomes impacted.

We understand this Jan 13 hearing a one time chance to influence the parking meters decision.  Once installed, parking meters become nearly impossible to remove.

Those interested to coordinate with our 18th & Arkansas Homeowners, please contact me at [e-mail] or phone [phone].

[Jack Doyle]

Info from Jay Primus NOTE INFO ON PUBLIC HEARING:

Summary of revised version

That revised version is attached and is also posted online at http://sfpark.org/resources/mission-bay-parking-management-strategy/. The main changes are: 

• On blocks that are predominantly residential, some blocks where meters had initially been proposed were removed in favor of residential parking permits.
• Where meters are proposed, rates are proposed to begin at $0.25 per hour rather than $1.00 per hour as initially proposed. Using demand-responsive pricing, the SFMTA will charge the lowest rate possible that achieves a minimum level of parking availability so that it is easier for drivers to find parking quickly.
• Some motorcycle and loading zones were added.
• To facilitate enforcement in existing residential parking permit (RPP) areas in the Dogpatch area, it is proposed to reduce the time limit for visitors (i.e., vehicles not displaying the residential permit) from a four hour time limit to a two hour time limit. This will match time limits in the majority of RPP areas in the city.
• Drivers will be able prepay at the meter (someone can pay ahead of time at 7am but won't be charged from 7am-9am), addressing a concern that many expressed. While always planned, it was not clear in the original proposal.
• Most meters will not have time limits, except for 4^th Street and Channel Street. 

Thanks to many of you for your help in improving this plan. 

Next steps

This proposal is being forwarded for review and approval.  

The first step in that process is a public hearing, which is scheduled for Friday, January 13 at 10 a.m. at City Hall, Room 416 (Hearing Room 4).  If you cannot attend but wish to submit input for consideration, please email [e-mail] with subject line “Public Hearing” or fax to 415-701-4737. 

After the public hearing, the next step is for the SFMTA Board to consider for approval, which is scheduled for February 7. Those meetings are typically held  at 1 p.m. at City Hall, Room 400.

[Jack Doyle]

Sorry for the clutter but I just got off the phone with Jay Primus at SFMTA and he says Jan 13 most likely hearing date. As soon as this is posted on the SFMTA website and confirmed I'll let everyone know.

[Jack Doyle]

Friday I learned the public hearing will be Friday, January 6, 2011, at 10:00 AM, in Room 416 (Hearing Room 4), City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102.

 

They say it will be on the SFMTA website 10 days prior. As soon as I have confirmation of this new date I will hand out flyers and post notices at the 22nd St Caltrain Station and surrounding area.

 

Go to SFMTA home > About Us > Public Notices and Meetings > Engineering Hearings >

 

Opinions on these proposed changes may be filed in writing prior to the hearing with the City Traffic Engineer at the Sustainable Streets Division, One South Van Ness Avenue, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5417.  Written opinions may also be transmitted to the Sustainable Streets Division via fax at 415.701.4737.  Submitted opinions will become part of the official public record and will be brought to the attention of the person(s) conducting the hearing.  Information on the proposed changes may be obtained from the Sustainable Streets Division at the above-referenced address or by telephone at 415.701.4500.

[jim wilkins]

Hi Jack

I have just had correspondence with Jay Primus about this and he cites the same arguments about RV's and cars parking long term. That's ok, except that those cars are parked there illegally under current ordinances, if I am not mistaken. It is SFPD's/SFMTA's responsibility to identify those cars and cite/remove them from the street. So the argument that putting parking meters there to control this sort of activity doesn't hold a lot of water. The petition currently has 498 signatures and counting. I will deliver a print copy of the petition to MTA prior to that meeting.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-parking-meter-installation-in...

It is good to finally get a date on the public comment session- Jan 13. Obviously, we need to get as many people to attend that meeting as possible.

Jim

[Jack Doyle]

I heard from the MTA Board today as it relates to the area near the Caltrain Station. Note public hearing scheduled for January 13.

Text of email below:

Thank you for taking the time to write.   Here is what our Director of Transportation, Ed Reiskin, recently said about this proposal to another member of the public who recently expressed similar concerns:

 

There is no question that we at the SFMTA want to encourage transit use, both of Muni and of our partner agencies, such as Caltrain.  We also want to manage parking so that it’s efficient, effective, and supportive of transit.

 

While we are proposing meters in the areas you mention, we are proposing a pricing scheme that is meant to recognize the value of and better manage the parking spaces without dissuading use for commuter parking.  This proposal will not limit the amount of parking for commuters who use Caltrain -- the same number of parking spaces will be available.  In fact, better parking management will likely increase the usable supply of parking by significantly reducing the number of spaces that are used by people to store their car, RV, trailer, or camper for long periods of time.  In other words, it may actually increase the number of people that can use Caltrain at this station.

 

Our general approach as it relates to near-Caltrain parking is as follows:

• Install meters at currently unmanaged on-street parking.  (Where on-street parking is unmanaged, there is little turnover or availability, and some amount of parking is taken by people storing campers, RVs, trailers, or cars, reducing the useable supply of parking.)
• Meters will have no time limit.
• Meter rates will start at $0.25/hour rather than $1.00/hour (with SFpark demand-responsive rate adjustments going forward)
• In the Dogpatch area, meters will operate 9am-6pm, Monday—Saturday. Around the 4th & King Station, meters will operate 9am—11pm, Monday—Sunday.
• Drivers can prepay at the meter, so if someone arrives to take a 6am train they can park and pay the meter ahead of time (they won’t be charged from 6am-9am, but can pay ahead of time).

 

We have conducted extensive outreach on these proposals, and continue to welcome feedback such as yours.  We will be releasing revised proposals next week, will hold a public hearing on January 13, and will bring the final proposals to the MTA Board on February 7 for their consideration and approval.

 

I hope that this will allay some of your concerns but in any regard, I will forward your email to the SFMTA Board of Directors.  They do appreciate hearing from the public and will keep these comments in mind as they consider the item. 

[Nick Damiano]

Hello everyone,

I created a Stop Parking Meters in Potrero Hill Facebook Group.  Please join and tell others if you are interested in this cause so we can communicate and organize action to combat this plan.

Nick

[jim wilkins]

Jack,

I was very happy to read your post and I agree 100% with everything you say. I have thought a lot about the people at the Food Bank and the impact this would have on them. I am so happy that you have gotten the word out to them and to commuters and Muni drivers. We currently have over 450 signatures on the petition. I am trying to stay informed about the status of SFMTA's potential meeting and will pass along any news here and on NextDoor Potrero. For those who have not yet seen it, the petition can be found at:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/stop-parking-meter-installation-in...

Jim