Challenge seeks to keep Sunday parking meters

San Francisco transit advocacy groups have filed an environmental appeal over the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s decision to stop enforcing Sunday partaking meters starting July 1.

The appeal filed by Livable City, the San Francisco Transit Riders Union and Mario Tanev, said that enforcement of Sunday parking meters last year had many benefits including reducing traffic and congestion, increasing parking availability in commercial areas and providing more revenue for The City.

Advocacy groups wrote in the appeal, which the San Francisco Bay Guardian obtained, that the SFMTA did not do a “meaningful analysis” if enforcement were to stop.

The appeal said the transit agency failed to analyze the environmental and traffic impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The transit agency’s board of directors decided to stop Sunday parking meter enforcement back in April when the board adopted its two-year budget.

Tanev named in the appeal and a spokesperson for transit riders union, said in statement that the transit agency could have benefited from the revenue from Sunday enforcement:

“The revenue lost could have been used for other worthy causes, such as increasing service on our overcrowded system, subsidizing low-income Seniors and people with disabilities or holding off fare increases.”

Paul Rose, a spokesman for the SFMTA, said the transit agency is reviewing the appeal but did not make any further comments.

Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin addressed the SFMTA board’s decision to stop Sunday enforcement at the Board of Supervisors’ Government and Finance committee Thursday during a presentation of the transit agency’s two-year budget.

He said despite analysis that the policy was doing what it set out to do, which is increase parking availability at metered spaces, there was difference of opinion.

One of those opinions came from Mayor Ed Lee, who in his State of The City Address said he wanted the SFMTA to stop Sunday enforcement of parking meters.

The Board of Supervisors will decide to accept or reject the appeal.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.