BEWARE!!!! DPT doing major sweep through city (VC22500F on Sidewalk Violations!) (San Francisco: house, living in) - San Francisco - Oakland - California (CA) - City-Data Forum

MidtownSacto · 04-29-2009, 03:44 AM

Today around 7pm, my mom went downstairs to get something from her car and noticed a parking ticket written around 6:30pm. It was a $100 fine, "VC22500F ON SIDEWALK". The car was parked in the driveway, and at most a foot was hanging over the sidewalk. I got my camera and hopped in my car, and after driving around (I live in the Sunset), I found four DPT meter maids doing a sweep of the entire Sunset District, snaking through all of the avenues, driving from Vicente to Lincoln on each avenue and back.

I have attached an example picture below of a neighbor's vehicle. Basically, anyone with a shorter driveway, DO NOT PARK YOUR CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. Anyone who had a slight overhang onto the sidewalk got the $100 ticket. In my 20 years living in the Sunset, I have NEVER seen a ticket written for this. This fundamentally changes the rules on what parking is allowed here. The DPT waited till 6pm it seems to write the tickets to make sure everyone was home. They must have written thousands just in the Sunset.

I also confronted a few of the meter maids with my camera (I always pointed them away from their faces). I was very nice to them (they're just doing their jobs), and one of them gave me an interview where he agreed with most of what I said. He told me it was basically an organized crackdown. While some of the meter maids tried to say it was for public safety reasons, this one guy agreed the fine amounts were outrageous and there was more to this than just public safety.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that San Francisco has found another way to screw with it's citizens. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Tallysmom · 04-29-2009, 11:18 AM

Have you been listening to the news? It's not just sidewalk violations -- it's every violation they can think of and then other fees are added to the ticket.

There's no money and all the cities have to put money in the coffers somehow, so EVERYWHERE you go you need to drive the speed limit and wear your seat belt and not park on the sidewalk, and just so you walkers don't feel left out -- NO JAYWALKING!

I seem to recall a woman in Alameda got a jaywalking ticket that after the fees was almost 200 bucks!

ImRandy · 04-29-2009, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rc251dc

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that San Francisco has found another way to screw with it's citizens.

You've got to be kidding. This certainly isn't new and certainly doesn't exist to screw the citizenry.

clongirl · 04-29-2009, 12:11 PM

I swear I was given a few tickets every month at times when I lived in the City! I once got three tickets in one week..one for not having a front license plate, second was for not curbing my wheels on a flat surface, and third was for being more than 18 inches from the curb! How is this a "new" thing or in any way unusual?

redwoodlvr · 04-29-2009, 12:23 PM

I lived in the Richmond district and got two separate tickets for this. Once when I parked in MY driveway and was running in the house to quickly get something I forgot with the car still running/front door wide open and another time I was not even within inches of the main sidewalk. I filed a complaint against that one and charges were dismissed. No, this is a valid citation...one of the more sneaky ones they have on the books. I think its hit or miss out in the avenues because people block the sidewalks all of the time. With 2 and 3 vehicles piled in the driveway no less. It sounds like SF is on a campaign to tag a lot of vehicles. The parking/street cleaning tickets have always been a huge source of revenue for SF. I'm sure they're ramping it up due to the economic situation. I would imagine you probably should pay attention to how you're driving in the city in general as well. Curtail any excuse to ticket you.

redwoodlvr · 04-29-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clongirl

I swear I was given a few tickets every month at times when I lived in the City! I once got three tickets in one week..one for not having a front license plate, second was for not curbing my wheels on a flat surface, and third was for being more than 18 inches from the curb! How is this a "new" thing or in any way unusual?

I'm curious. Which district were you in? I think there is more ticketing activity in some of the areas with less parking available. Out in the avenues it was mostly the street cleaning tickets which kicked my butt more than once. Especially when you remember and then forget to move your car! You're casually walking home from work, having taken the express bus from downtown, only to see that ticket flapping on your windowshield. I think it's up to $40-45 now?? It used to be $10 back in the day.

Most natives instinctively curb the wheels, so I don't know if that's a popular one unless you're just getting used to the process. I learned how to drive in San Francisco and I curb the wheels everywhere I am in the world. Even when it's totally unnecessary. I'm programmed well. haha.

And no you'd better not forget to curb your wheels, or have registration issues or any other vehicle situation on street cleaning day either. Irregardless if you're parked on the correct side of the street or not. The meter people are trained hawks and they will catch it. LOL.

Ultrarunner · 04-29-2009, 12:37 PM

I stopped going to the city because of things like this

redwoodlvr · 04-29-2009, 12:47 PM

Ha! Can't say that I blame you Ultrarunner.

clongirl · 04-29-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redwoodlvr

I'm curious. Which district were you in? I think there is more ticketing activity in some of the areas with less parking available. Out in the avenues it was mostly the street cleaning tickets which kicked my butt more than once. Especially when you remember and then forget to move your car! You're casually walking home from work, having taken the express bus from downtown, only to see that ticket flapping on your windowshield. I think it's up to $40-45 now?? It used to be $10 back in the day.

Most natives instinctively curb the wheels, so I don't know if that's a popular one unless you're just getting used to the process. I learned how to drive in San Francisco and I curb the wheels everywhere I am in the world. Even when it's totally unnecessary. I'm programmed well. haha.

And no you'd better not forget to curb your wheels, or have registration issues or any other vehicle situation on street cleaning day either. Irregardless if you're parked on the correct side of the street or not. The meter people are trained hawks and they will catch it. LOL.

These tickets all occurred in the Richmond..The "flat" surface street was Commonwealth St. across the street from Cal Pacific Med...very flat to me, but apparently they didn't think so. I was told that if a pencil would roll in any direction then it wasn't flat!

I also used to live in the Sunset on the Muni line where street cleaning was twice a week, two different times on either side of the street! I can't even count how many nights I'd wake up in a cold sweat and ask my husband.."did you move the car?" Funny..this late night panic carried on for a few months even after I moved out of the City!

BayAreaHillbilly · 04-29-2009, 03:53 PM

Of course, if one of the sidewalk Nazis called to complain, it might have also helped to draw in the enforcement. By sidewalk Nazi I am referring to someone who is a rabid car hater, perhaps they read "Ecotopia Emerging" especially the part where the ecorevolutionaries start chasing down cars. No joke, there are people like this throughout the City. They also sometimes key cars that are in any way protruding onto the sidewalk.