Comments on: Why We’ll Avoid San Francisco for a While

By: Rick

Rick — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:48:28 +0000

The government has to fund those 500k fireman retirement packages so what else is a conscientious totalitarian to do.

Tax the rich (anyone with a car that can still go shopping or dining).

By: Darryl Siry

Darryl Siry — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 11:58:29 +0000

$50 ticket for being too late to fill the meter with another couple of quarters. What is so annoying about this is that the meter is active for 9 hours a day at $2/hour for a total maximum city revenue for that spot of $18. ($3.50/hr downtown equates to $31.50)

If I forget my ticket at the garage they charge the daily max. If I forget to put quarters in the meter I think charging me the daily max is fairer than an egregious $50 penalty.

By: Bob Rosenberg

Bob Rosenberg — Tue, 04 May 2010 23:21:56 +0000

Dan

Same thing happened to me a few years ago — with the exception that they actually put the ticket on my windshield. Being from out of town, and being unaware of the specifics of parking places in San Francisco, cut no ice with the powers that be. I also sent the hundred bucks.

Leaves a bad taste.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:40:21 +0000

Why drive, Dan? San Fran is an easy city to navigate without a car.

And for what it’s worth, those of us who choose to live FULL-TIME in the city, your idling car isn’t doing us or our children any favors. Perhaps I, along with 500 of my friends, could drive our cars to your driveway in AZ and sit, engines idling.

I don’t mean to be a jerk, but for some people, the city is a home, and the more livable it is for residents, the better, right?

By: Andreas Ramos

Andreas Ramos — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 02:37:19 +0000

I heard that 25% of San Francisco’s city revenues come from parking tickets. They use this as a form of taxes. Many of my friends have gotten pointless tickets in SF. I’ll join Dan’s boycott of San Francisco. Whenever I can, I move meetings to other cities.

By: marianne f

marianne f — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:25:29 +0000

I hope you realize there’s a tone of driver entitlement to your post, Dan. If you’re able bodied and want to enjoy the City, you’re free to walk or use public transit.

By: Bob Strand

Bob Strand — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:27:39 +0000

Of course, this kind of “taxation” is famous in Chicago as well, and probably goes back even to Roman times. The only way it changes is when the citizens and business owners start complaining in large numbers. As an out-of-towner myself, I realize that my complaint would be just so much waste paper to those in charge. I extend my commiseration.

By: Ken Sands

Ken Sands — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:37:33 +0000

The Washington Post ran a story about how the DC government is ramping up parking and traffic ticket enforcement to help with a budget shortfall. Soon after, I got a $100 ticket because one of the screws holding my front license plate in place had broken, and the plate was askew. That’s right. The plate was crooked. Nothing else. $100. Talk about a victimless crime.

By: SF Girl

SF Girl — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:35:56 +0000

Oh we don’t call that a parking ticket. We call that a parking TAX. ;o) I very much understand your frustration. You might consider writing or calling the City Supervisor of the district the dinner was located in to let them know that their district has lost your business.

The enforcement officers are obligated to give you the ticket, but I suppose they could just claim that it had been blown away.

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:14:01 +0000

Oh Dan, don’t even get me started on this. I parked my scooter for 6 months on the sidewalk below our awning without a ticket (never mind that the meter maids were riding past every day). Then one day, out of the blue, I got a 100 dollar ticket for parking on the sidewalk. I contested it (Potrero Hill is full of motorcycles parked on the sidewalk in front of people’s houses), but of course had to pay it since it is in fact illegal to park on the sidewalk.
But yeah, there is no logic to their madness…
I empathize.