With the spotlight turned on the dangers and dysfunction that result from the sorry state of double-parking enforcement in San Francisco, Mayor Ed Lee has staked out a position on the matter that seems to show a tone-deaf windshield perspective on city streets more than an actual commitment to making them safer.
Supervisor Scott Wiener, who grilled parking enforcement officials at a hearing on double parking last week, asked the mayor at this week's Board of Supervisors meeting what he will "do to ensure that double parking enforcement is a priority where it impacts transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists."
"What specific goals and metrics do you propose we establish to ensure that the most impactful double parking behavior becomes an enforcement priority for the MTA and the police department?" Wiener asked Lee. "Will your office agree to report back in a year on the city’s stepped up enforcement efforts against double parking?"
The mayor's prepared response started off with an anecdote about a recent encounter with double parkers who blocked his car while he was apparently being chauffeured around the Mission. The strongest commitment made by the mayor was that "next time, instead of rushing off to my appointment, I will ask my officers in my car to get out and issue those citations, if not strong warnings."
"You couldn't even turn the corner," he said of the inconvenience he experienced when trying to turn off of Valencia on to 16th Street last week. "All three double-parkers were looking at each other as if nothing was wrong."
Lee went on to mention that double parking creates hazards for people walking, biking, and driving, and that it "literally stops Muni," and listed the measures the SFMTA has already taken to address it, such as increased enforcement and new loading zones. But while he said it's "it's clear we need to do more," his commitments were limited to "meeting with both the MTA and police department to understand how we can better deal with double parking."
"Specifically, I will task both of these departments to identify how we can change the culture to make our streets safer for all modes of transportation, while fostering a more transit-friendly San Francisco," Lee told Wiener. "If it's a part of a resource issue, I look forward to working with you and your colleagues on the Board of Supervisors to address the issue through the budgetary process."
In the meantime, keep an eye out for the mayor out on the streets, "Carrying forth my personal commitment to you that everywhere I see it, I will stop it myself."
