San Francisco's plan to change the hours drivers pay for street parking, the first such change since 1947, may be put on hold. Last week, the Board of Supervisors passed a resolution urging the city's transportation agency to delay the idea until an "independent economic impact report" is finished.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, known as the SFMTA, wants to extend meter hours so they run from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It also proposes adding Sunday metering in select parts of the city where parking charges did not previously exist. The agency says the plan will "expand parking availability and benefit all those who live, shop, worship and work in San Francisco."
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin said it appeared likely the agency would agree to postpone the changes until the city's controller can complete a study at some point in September.
The changes had been scheduled to begin in July and roll out in six phases through December 2024. According to the SFMTA, extended hours would come first to the Dogpatch and Fisherman's Wharf, while lower-income neighborhoods would see the changes last.
Sunday parking has been free in much of the city. Where Sunday meters already operate, they run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Under the new plan, Sunday metering would run from noon to 6 p.m. The SFMTA said religious services would be minimally affected because of the midday start, and that meters already operating on Sundays would keep their current hours. Neighborhoods with evening and Sunday metering include Mission Bay, South Beach, the 18th Street business district in Potrero Hill and the Embarcadero.
The agency argues the change would open up more spaces in the evening, since drivers could no longer hold a spot past 6 p.m. without paying. "While drivers generally love free parking, they may not realize that it's hard to find a space in the evenings and on Sundays in many neighborhoods because the meters are not running," an SFMTA news release said.
The timing was meant to coincide with a citywide effort to replace all parking meters. The new meters will show information in English, Spanish and Chinese and are said to be harder to vandalize, according to the SFMTA.
Money is also part of the picture. The city says the changes would help close a projected $130 million budget gap that is expected to begin in 2025, which it blames on low ridership. The agency has said that without added funding it could be forced to eliminate up to 20 Muni routes, though it could not say which lines would be affected.
"We haven't even gotten around to discussing that yet," said agency spokesperson Stephen Chun. "We hope we don't have to go there. What we know is that a $130 million deficit is the equivalent of 20 Muni lines."
The proposal has drawn opposition outside City Hall as well. The local chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted flyers around town criticizing the plan as a threat to the working class.
