January 21, 2011-Two weeks ago all the San Francisco print, radio, television and internet media outlets were informing the public how the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) was falling short of its projected revenue and how the agency plan to make up the deficit…as Joy Houlihan, Deputy Director of Enforcement for the MTA told its board in a meeting…instruct the parking control officers to issue more citations. The public responses been mostly outrage, since motorists claims they are being fined to fund the ill-managed and ill-employed of the colossus MUNI city transit system. Then wannabe politicians wanted to get into the action…Phil Ting, the city’s tax assessor-recorder posted in his Facebook an online petition sign-up for what he claims---“Ask City Hall to TEAR UP THE UNFAIR TICKET PLAN.”
Majority of all parking tickets issued are justified and fall into two reasoning category…#1-Motorists carelessness---not reading the posted signs, not keeping track of the time and not looking at the painted curbs. #2-Motorists stupidity---the cops cannot be everywhere, I am just be gone for a few seconds, and the most pathetic excuse for double-parking in a busy street---I have rights!
I have been driving around the City for over fifty years and to my record only been issued one parking ticket during that time. It happened just two years ago for parking in a “Street Cleaning” spot. I had some out-of-state friends staying at the house; therefore I parked my car on the street and their traveling van in my garage. One Saturday evening after showing them the sights of the City, I parked my car in a spot that had “Street Cleaning” Tues-Thurs-Sun 4 A.M. to 6 A.M.
I figure it would be safe as long as I moved my car Sunday before nightfall. On Sunday afternoon, we all headed to my parked car for more sightseeing and to my surprise I had a parking ticket on my windshield. They all questioned me if I read the posted sign and I told them I indeed did and question why I was issued a ticket since it was not Sunday morning yet. They informed me that 4 A.M. was 8 hours ago, I thought Sunday 4 A.M. was tonight after midnight. They rightfully correct me that my reasoning would be Monday 4 A.M., therefore I had to add a third motorist reasoning category…personal senile!
I have no problem with parking control officers issuing citations, but I do have a problem with the Deputy Director of Enforcement asking for more tickets because not enough were issued the PAST few months. Why? It basically means that parking control officers were either goofing off or turning a blind eye from issuing tickets during that period of time!
A good case in point using the streets around Chinatown: Stockton Street between Columbus Avenue to Sacramento Street. Stockton Street heading toward Market Street between Columbus Avenue to Broadway is single lane in both directions with a painted double yellow lines divider. Stockton Street from Broadway to Sacramento Street heading toward Market Street has two lanes, while the opposite direction heading away from Market Street one lane only. These five blocks have painted yellow solid line on the side heading toward Market Street and broken lines on the side heading away of Market Street. I nickname the seven blocks from the Stockton Street Tunnel to Columbus Avenue “The Stockton Street Bottleneck.” On some day and time period, a person can literally walk these seven blocks faster than a motorist drive through those blocks on either directions.
The City Planners have vastly improved the area with eliminating some parking spaces with bus stop islands, single pedestrians crisscross intersection signal, left turn only lanes in the away from Market Street direction, and new parking signs and restrictions to keep the flow of traffic moving. The actual methods and tools are in place, but the reality of enforcement is in fantasyland.
I have heard many comments about how bad Chinese pedestrians acts, crossing the intersection on red or not waiting for the “WALK” sign, thus standing on the curb watching other ethnic groups---young and old; doing the same acts does not warrant any additional comments from me. In the last five years of walking through the area, I have witness the aftermath of four pedestrians being hit by motorists in the crosswalks, and witness countless times of motorists honking or cursing at inattentive pedestrians. Jaywalking is another big joke in the area, I was shock to see one afternoon a motorcycle cop traveling toward Market Street as an elderly Chinese woman jaywalk along Stockton Street and the officer made a u-turn to approach the lady to lecture her on the evil of her act…most likely she smiled and nodded in return! I have also watched and encountered many occasion motorists on those left turn only lane trying to beat the changing signal light and turning left on the red while the pedestrians are now in the crosswalk, then to my amazement majority of these drivers would be honking their horn for a clear pathway---kind of like a criminal calling the police while in the act of the crime!
In both directions along Stockton Street by the corner of Broadway are painted red zones, therefore allowing cars wanting to turn right onto Broadway on either direction a lane to wait for clearing crossing pedestrians without impeding the flow of traffic along Stockton Street. The problem is many occasions parked delivery trucks or motorists awaiting passengers are parked in the red, causing the flow of traffic to a standstill. There is also the problem of cars, buses, or trucks blocking the intersection due to the forefront traffic and causing the stoppage of traffic along the adjacent street. This could be easily corrected with the DMV Common Courtesy Rules of the Road…but wait---It’s my rights to get to my destination as quickly as possible and screw you all, therefore stick your honking up your rear-end!
The Stockton & Broadway intersection is the City cosmopolitan of driver’s lunacies. In all four directions, there are posted signs stating “NO LEFT TURN.” The only exception is Broadway heading toward the Broadway Tunnel with ‘MUNI Excepted.’ I have witness motorists, delivery drivers making left turn in either directions any days of the week and anytime of the day. Fire trucks and police cars with sirens and flashing lights making the left turns are understandable, but I watched a City’s service truck making a left turn is unacceptable. I even witness a tour bus making a left turn, because MUNI and tour bus must mean the same thing in the Vehicle Code! The supreme act of motorist’s lunacy on this intersection happened one Summer afternoon as a Coca Cola delivery truck, not the single truck with sliding side panels but a truck cab pulling a short length trailer; traveling along Stockton Street heading toward Market Street and wanting to make a delivery stop at the Walgreen Drug Store on the opposite side of the street. The driver stopped his truck prior to entering the Broadway intersection and waited for opposite side traffic to stop by the signal lights; then proceed to make a u-turn at the busy intersection and could not complete it in one motion. For close to ten minutes as frustrated pedestrians and motorists waited for the driver to backed up several times with other motorists maneuvering to allow some clearance for this fool to complete his u-turn. This is just fitting to Coca Cola 1979 slogan…”Have a Coke and a smile.” There is also the problem of the many countless times motorists are making u-turn on Stockton Street along the two blocks of single lane in either direction, and not being able to complete the maneuver because of traffic or space, thereby causing traffic stoppage in either directions. Both types of u-turn are in violation of the California Vehicle Code because it impeded the flow of traffic. It is also very ironic that San Francisco Police Department Central Station is located above Stockton Street along Vallejo Street.
The worst motorist’s offenders are the double-parking. The seven blocks of Stockton Street have posted signs making that act illegal and fineable offense:
Then what happened by Stockton by Jackson Street, Saturday-January 15, 2011 at 8:20 A.M.
Two delivery trucks double parking, when there are open spaces behind the island and further down the block.
Must be very good timing, a police car coming up the street and can help put revenue into the City budget.
The officer just drove right by, without even a warning…must be on break!
The next block the delivery truck is double-parked close to the bus stop, therefore forcing the bus driver to disembark rear door passengers away from the island platform area.
Stockton by Jackson Street, Tuesday-January 18, 2011 at 10:01 A.M.
A fishery delivery truck double-parking, when there are plenty of parking spaces on the next corner. Also right behind the truck, a lady in red is about to jaywalk!
Stockton by Jackson Street, Saturday-January 22, 2011 at 8:10 A.M.
First to set up the area: Store #1 by the corner space sells produces & meats, Store #2 next door sells only produces and Store #3 next door sells produces & meats. In the photo Truck #1 on the left is a meat delivery truck, which is double parking and just started delivering meats to Store #1; Truck #2 in the middle of the photo, with its headlights on---a delivery truck driven by the owner of Store #3 is in the process of backing into a parking space just vacant by Truck #1---whom just finished delivering meats to Store #3; Truck #3 in the right of the photo---the blue front cab is double parking, which is delivering produces to all three stores.
I finally realize why some drivers double-park! Laziness and who is going to make me move! Could it be a total lack of enforcement by the City’s police department and the MTA-parking control officers, which is causing the entire traffic bottleneck in the area?
Need further proof…well, last Summer during one of my early morning daily walk toward Chinatown, I noticed the traffic along Columbus Avenue was backed up down to Mason Street. The usually morning traffic backup occurred right by Union Street, just prior to down Columbus Avenue heading toward the Financial District or turn right onto Stockton Street split. But this day as I was walking closer to the Stockton Street split, I noticed most of the blockade was for motorists and MUNI buses turning onto Stockton Street. I was now walking along Stockton Street and I noticed what was causing the big traffic mess…a double-parked food distribution tractor-trailer along the single lane for either direction section of Stockton Street, which was unloading perishable goods for the Walgreen Drug Store across the street. Market Street bound motorists had to wait for Market Street out-bound motorists clearance to go around the double-parked truck---it was a total mess! The two workers had no clue about their stupidity, eventhough angered horns were sounded. I figured it must have parked there close to 30 minutes before the driver moved the truck across Broadway to the two lanes section of Stockton Street. I noticed a very irritated waiting bus rider yelling at the driver to get his truck out of here for he is the cause of this big traffic mess. Remember I mentioned that the Central Police Station is just around the corner and Vallejo Street was blocked up too and car horns were sounding…I forgot---police station front window are bulletproof and soundproof. Plus MUNI have a inspector stationed on the corner of Columbus & Union Street…I forgot---ten buses all bunch together is normal occurrence in the MUNI!
Local San Francisco television station “KRON4” reporter Stanley Roberts has a weekly segment entitled “People Behaving Badly.” He aired three videos of the lax parking enforcement along this very area of Chinatown. The first video aired on March 18, 2008 entitled “Illegal Free Parking” about the 4 trucks parked in yellow zone, within the 1300 block of Stockton Street (where the Walgreen Drug Store is located), several of the trucks owned by the merchants on that block, parking for all day without feeding the meter or moving, and no DPT (Department of Parking and Traffic, which is the enforcement section of MTA) parking control officer chalking or citing the vehicles.
The second video aired April 17, 2008 entitled “Increased Enforcement” is a follow-up of the first video. Someone in either MTA or DPT must have seen or heard about the first video and now the parking control officers are out in force to cite vehicles overstaying the 30 minutes limit in yellow zone spaces. The video show how these drivers are now moving the trucks to various spots along Chinatown because as Stanley claims new officers would be out in force for the next 6 months. I remember vividly that incident where local merchants were complaining about the so-called harassment of these officers, but after 30 days it was all back to normal---park in front of store all day and no need to feed the meter!
The third video aired September 25, 2009 entitled “Still Parked For Too Long” showed 4 trucks parking beyond the 30 minutes without moving or feeding the meter. This video brought in three special point…#1-As Stanley was filming the appearance of parking control officers on the scene, he overheard on one of the officer two-way radio to cite overtime parking trucks in the area; therefore people around the area have connection with DPT. #2-Enforcement is not lax but selective and reluctantly; officers are issuing tickets for overtime vehicles but not trucks parked at the same spot for a long period of time. #3-Enforcement is nothing but a big show; the officer was chalking an overtime parked truck tires, when Stanley brought to his attention that the meter expired 90 minutes ago. The correct procedure is first check the meter, if expired issue the citation, if the meter is not expired---chalk the tires! Stanley in all his videos never imply that something fishy is going between the officers and the drivers of those parked trucks, but the Wizard knows better.
The year is 2011, all those trucks listed in those videos are still now currently parked along Stockton & Jackson Street; several of the merchants have changed vehicles and several new merchants have joined in the free parking practices. I can still recall an newspaper article involving a “meter maid” as they were called in the late 1980’s before the ‘political correctness age;’ also they were part of the police department those days too. The officer had the Chinatown beat and was busted and eventually terminated for leaving the Hall of Justice with a briefcase full with currencies laden red envelopes. Majority of the Chinatown merchants in the late 1980’s are no longer doing business in the area, and I not implying that these bribery practices are standard business practices in Chinatown, but I have to wonder…to be less obvious---free of charge breakfast, lunch; free bag of fruits, meats, vegetables; free of charge groceries or other services. Why?
Look at these posted signs:
How can a parking control officer not notice the same truck parking at the same space everyday and not feeding the meter? How can a parking control officer allow a merchant’s personal SUV park in commercial truck loading zone, which is a tow-away offense too. The officer might not be getting any favors, but by not citing these incidents it just support the notion that favor were tendered. Then there is the question where are the officer supervisor or are they involved in the favors too! Lastly MTA and DPT management must realize that in order to increase revenue it’s not just by increase ticket writing but quit selective enforcement and have their personnel just start doing their job!
I wish to post an article San Francisco Examiner reporter Will Reisman wrote on December 8, 2010:
Ingleside District police Capt. Louis Cassanego said that before the
Election, many of his patrol officers were reluctant to pull over and
Cite motorists due to concerns that miffed drivers might then vote
In favor of Prop. B, the controversial proposal to reform The City’s
Public pension program.
This kind of put into perspective on why the ticket revenue has fallen from the projected amount!
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