Speak up! Write letters. Tell the churches you don’t like them double parking. Tell the City you want more open spaces for your kids and less room for cars that contribute nothing.

I also want to note that I saw something like Sunday’s successful self-sorting crush on 24th St at the season opener Sunday Streets on April 26, in the stretch through Fisherman’s Wharf, walkers and cyclists and dogs all mixed up and moving in at least two opposing flows, nobody (that I saw) crashing into anyone else. I have to say, witnessing such friendly cooperation and awareness of others really makes me despair for humanity a little less!

it is true that during the sunday streets in my new neighborhood, bikes used the road and the people stuck to the sidewalk — but is that really a failure? maybe sunday streets just has to be different in different neighborhoods. but please … let’s keep them going in all neighborhoods! don’t take any sunday streets away!!!

It’d be great to get to the point that we could have similar events in the Fillmore and the Tenderloin. Step by step, with plenty of community involvement.

As for Guerrero double parking, might I suggest some locals bring out lawn chairs, maybe a love seat, a bbq or other such things and occupy some of the illegal double parking spaces just to kind of make a point? An improptu park/tiny event celebrating another use of the street and making a point to illegal parkers could be fun.

Suggest it to the Supervisors and the Mayor – we are limited only by popular demand and money. Oh yes, money. It’s not horribly expensive but enough to pay for the costs of the events must be raised by Sunday Streets – to pay for event insurance, the SFPD and the Parking Control Officers, to pay for permits, to pay for volunteer coordination, etc etc…

In these tight budget times it’s not realistic to expect the City to have money to spend on events such as these – so we’ve worked very hard to raise money to cover the costs of the events. Considering the bang for our buck it’s a fantastic return on investment – the return being simply fun and happiness and hopefully more business for the merchants. With more money we could address the complaints received about lack of outreach with advertising and pretty signs and banners and route markings…oh we have big ideas but limited means at this point.

Greg

I can see the benefits of an instant – if temporary – road diet, but a block with 20 illegally parked cars that don’t get ticketed is $2,000 dollars that the MTA is losing out on. That’s an awful lot of 50¢ Muni fare increases to make up for it.

From what I understand, this practice started at Mission Dolores Church and was for funerals only. It subsequently spread to other churches and is now a weekly occurrence City wide. While doing outreach for Sunday Streets (particularly about parking enforcement), we noted that many of the ‘Church Parked’ cars were not being used for church parking, but for dining, Yoga classes, and hanging out in the neighborhood.

Personally, I don’t care what someone is parked for, and don’t think that double parking to attend church should be above the law. There appears to be a growing sentiment among neighbors who live near churches who agree and would love to see the practice eliminated.

The discussion may well be rendered moot, however, if the City does go ahead with plans to charge for Sunday parking. They won’t put parking meters in the medians, and will have to enforce non paid parking in the median lest folks flock to these free spots to avoid having to pay to park. At least we can hope thats what happens.