Former District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston authored the legislation to ban parking in bus stops back in 2021. It passed unanimously. SFMTA committed to paint all curbs in front of “flag” bus stops within 18 months in February 2023.
But now the cash-strapped agency has repainted red curbs gray on the Muni 31 Balboa to reduce the space for buses from 35 feet to 20, in a move that can only make it harder for the elderly and those with disabilities to ride. "SFMTA is actively painting over curbs on the 31 Balboa route through the Richmond District," observed tipsters who reached out to Streetsblog. Motorists are now parking in the stops again.
Streetsblog confirmed that the gray paint was applied to the curbs in front of at least two bus stops, at 17th and 21st Avenues. 19th Avenue, the stop inbetween, still has the full-length of red-painted curb, as do many other stops on the line. It's unclear who lengthened the stop at 17th and 21st to 35 feet, which allows buses to pull fully to the curb.
Michael Roccaforte, a spokeperson for SFMTA, repeatedly sidestepped questions as to why a city would eliminate the ability of a bus to pull all the way to a curb and allow any private car parking in these stops again.
"I’m disturbed and infuriated by SFMTA’s decision to paint red curbs along bus stops gray in order to allow people to store cars in front of a bus stop. This action decreases accessibility for people who use public transportation—especially children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities—and is inequitable," wrote advocate Luke Bornheimer of Streets Forward in an email to Streetsblog.
Below are pictures of the 17th Avenue stop from February 2024 and this month:
If Streetsblog readers have seen more stops with the red curbs removed or shortened, be sure to post about it in the comments section.
Roccaforte stressed that the stops in question were previously only "flag stops" with no parking restrictions at all. This required everyone to walk into the street to catch the bus. The shorter bus stops still allow passengers to "safely board the bus’s front door without being obstructed by parked cars," he wrote in an email to Streetsblog.
However, from Streetsblog's view, that completely misses the point. It is indeed disturbing that SFMTA simultaneously claims to lack funds to do all the safety features it wants to do, but somehow it has resources to go backwards and remove 15 feet of red curb. There's a clear disconnect at the agency and Streetsblog can only hope the new mayor will start knocking heads together and make a call about relieving whoever authorized this absurd expenditure.
"Since 2021 it has been official city policy for SFMTA to eliminate parking in bus stop zones," wrote the Transit Riders' Dylan Fabris. "We stand against this change and urge the SFMTA to continue implementing [full] red zones at all bus stops citywide"
"For every person with a walker, stroller, or a kid, they just made the bus less safe in order to make room for a single person to store a car," added Bornheimer. "That speak volumes."
Note: an earlier version of this post said SFMTA originally lengthened the no-parking zones at the stops at 17th and 21st. SFMTA clarified that it was painted by vigilantes.
