SF MTA has announced that it will extend parking hours starting this summer, to help chip away at an increasing budget deficit expected to hit $240M by 2028. Hours will be extended until 10 p.m. Mondays thru Saturdays, and meters will be enforced on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The MTA has planned a thoughtful phased rollout, which lasts over 18 months, and is calibrated to account for historic inequities in marginalized communities, and to limit the impact on churchgoers. (You can read more about the proposed change at https://www.sfmta.com/blog/san-francisco-extend-parking-meter-hours-citywide.)

Despite this careful rollout, some community members and SF Policymakers are balking at this change, with Supervisor Peskin asking for an “independent economic report” and shedding doubt on the fiscal benefits of the plan. We are calling on the SF MTA Board, Director Tumlin, MTA Staff, Mayor Breed, and the Board of Supervisors to vociferously support the existing, sensible plan, to avoid further fiscal woes for MTA and deteriorating Muni service. We do not need another study.

Parking meter fees are a critical source of revenue for SF MTA, and without more revenue soon, MTA may have to shut down up to 20 MUNI lines across the city. More metered hours also means more parking turnover - which is better for local businesses, whose clientele can visit more easily in the evenings and on Sundays. Furthermore, marginal increases in public transit use, biking, or walking instead of driving reduces the negative externalities associated with cars (collisions and pollution). In fact, this change is entirely within the American mainstream of urban policy: most major American cities have some form of paid parking meters on Sundays - San Francisco is an exception until this proposal, which Mayor Breed proposed in 2020.

Tell SF leadership to support MTA's thoughtful proposal - and move forward with extending parking meter hours in SF.