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San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
 
San Francisco Municipal Railway | Department of Parking & TrafficOne South Van Ness Avenue, Seventh Fl. San Francisco, CA 94103 | Tel: 415.701.4500 | Fax: 415.701.4430 |
www.sfmta.com
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, October 13, 2009Contact: Judson True415.606.9281 (cell) judson.true@sfmta.com 
***PRESS RELEASE***SFMTA Releases Extended Parking Meter Hours Study
Agency Proposes Meter Operation when Parking Occupancy is High to Create Parking Availability and Increase Economic Vitality 
San Francisco—
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)today released a study on extending parking meter hours of operation. Thestudy includes a proposal to extend meter hours in the evenings and on Sundayswhen and where warranted by high parking occupancy and when a significantnumber of businesses are open. Extended meter hours would make it easier forbusiness customers to find parking and would improve Muni’s speed andreliability by reducing congestion and illegal parking.“This proposal for extended meter hours fits into a larger vision of the SFMTA’soverall transportation and parking policy goals and furthers San Francisco’sTransit First policy,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO of theSFMTA. “Parking meters create parking availability and they support economicvitality by helping business customers find parking when they need it.”In May 2009, as part of budget discussions with the Board of Supervisors and theMayor’s office, the SFMTA initiated a study to refine an April 2009 proposal toextend the hours of meter operation to 10 p.m. citywide Mondays throughSaturdays and to operate parking meters from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.The study was intended to better match when and where meter hours areextended with when and where parking is difficult to find in commercial areas.This study includes a survey of other jurisdictions’ practices, a review of previousreports on parking in the City, and the collection of new data on parkingoccupancy levels, business hours of operation, stakeholder concerns, andresidents’ opinions.Using this study, the SFMTA has developed a proposal for extending meteringhours when and where warranted, specifically:
 
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Sundays: Establish metering hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. citywide(instead of 10 a.m.).
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Mondays through Saturdays: Operate parking meters until 6 p.m., 9 p.m.,or midnight when and where parking demand warrants (rather than 10p.m. citywide):
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Extend meter hours until 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and untilmidnight Friday through Saturday at 59 percent of metered spaces.
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Extend meter hours until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at 23percent of metered spaces (leaving Monday through Thursday until6 p.m.).
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Extend meter hours until midnight Monday through Saturday inareas where parking availability is low throughout the week, whichis 17 percent of metered spaces.
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Operate meters Monday through Saturday until 6 p.m. at onepercent of metered spaces.
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Rates: Retain current rates (but use demand-responsive pricing in SF
park 
 pilot areas).
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Time limits: Establish 4-hour parking time limits after 6 p.m. and all day onSundays.“We do not have a one-size-fits-all solution to San Francisco’s parkingchallenges,” Ford added. “Our approach is based on extensive research andincludes outreach to dozens of stakeholders, including businesses. We knowthat this study will engender significant discussion and feedback from electedofficials and the general public. We welcome that discussion. We believe thatthe excellent work that went into this study will elevate San Francisco’s alwayspassionate debates about parking.”This proposal is based on the following study findings:
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Demand for on-street parking is high in the evenings and onSundays, which results in parking occupancies that are often higherthan 100 percent due to illegal parking. It is hardest to find availableparking spaces after 6 p.m. and on Sundays, when parking atmeters is currently free and unrestricted.
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When San Francisco’s meters were first introduced in 1947, manybusinesses kept traditional hours, usually from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,Mondays through Saturdays.
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Today, many businesses are open late in the evening and all dayon Sundays, which creates demand for parking at times whenparking meters do not currently operate.
 
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Many cities and towns around the country operate their parkingmeters Monday through Saturday until 10 p.m., midnight, or 2 a.m.,as well as on Sundays.
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Parking availability is the aspect of parking that San Franciscoresidents value most highly. Cost, though not unimportant, rankedfifth (out of nine) as a concern.
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A plurality of residents supports metering in the evenings and onSundays if meter revenues are used to improve pedestrian andbicycle facilities and Muni service. Residents who never drive ordrive rarely are more likely to support extending the hours thanthose who drive frequently.The study also makes additional recommendations, based primarily on thefeedback gathered in surveys and stakeholder interviews:
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Improve the availability and marketing of SFMTA Parking Cards tomake it easier for drivers to pay for parking and avoid parkingtickets.
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Offer residents who live adjacent to commercial corridors the optionto extend Residential Parking Permit (RPP) enforcement hours toreduce potential parking “spillover” in their neighborhoods. Hours ofRPP enforcement could either match or extend beyond meteringhours.
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Review metering hours at least every two years using 85 percentoccupancy as the criteria and adjust metering hours as necessaryto achieve availability goals.
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Reduce hourly meter rates in SFMTA parking lots when and whereparking occupancy does not exceed 60 percent and considerlengthening time limits at those lots to improve driver convenience.
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Accelerate the ongoing implementation of two hour time limits inmetered commercial areas.While the SFMTA extended hours proposal is driven by policy goals such asmaking parking easier to find, it could also help fund Muni and pedestrian andbicycle improvements as the SFMTA sees state and local funding for operationsdisappear or decrease in the challenging economy. The extended hoursproposal would generate an additional $8.8 million per year in net revenue for theSFMTA after accounting for costs such as Parking Control Officers. One-timeimplementations costs would be $2.5 million.For the full study go towww.sfmta.com/extendedhours.
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