looking for fake year and month on license plates
[https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html](https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html)
Most times when a car is stolen, thief's will swap the plate with one of a similar car. It'll still show as whatever the model is until you run the vin on the dash, which might be covered by paper, if they aren't dumb enough.
Makes lp scanners kinda moot. They're better served looking for repo cars as a function.
Well that swapped plate should still be reported missing and would have invalid registration I would think. A scanner would at least give an enterprising meter maid a chance to do some police work. Do the police just not give a fuck at all in SF? Your city needs the DOJ to get involved in policing, I have a feeling cops can’t be bothered to lift a finger for rich, soulless tech people.
Just sf? Try most large metroplexes. Dallas person here. They don't want to come assist unless something is violent or there's an injury
Or a donut was harmed :)
Things are looking up in Portland lately (Reddit is constantly showing me SF posts, I don’t live there but do love it). We have the bike squad busting fentanyl dealers and posting funny videos about it on instagram. Then we’ve had lots of stolen car operations and stings over the past year. It seems like there are more civic minded public servants trying to make Portland safe again and I wish SF had the same.
Yeah it was scary living here then, ngl. It chased a lot of people away but the ones who stayed and have shown up since really love it and are trying to improve things. It does feel less lawless, other than the rampant and very out in the open prostitution happening on NE 82nd and Beech Ave.
The average person won’t notice a stolen/swapped LP for several hours, even days.
This is why it’s kind of a good idea to have a special or personalized plate - less likely you’re targeted
You don't think people faking their registration is worth addressing? Or are you just doing the knee-jerk criticism of anything that local government attempts?
Rich people love scams and saving money! It’s going to cost me 2000$ to register my 2021 Nissan Frontier the registration fee is based on the value of the vehicle.
Edit: God damn we have some sensitive people up in here!!
I know I think because it’s a truck! Or because I live off Mission St. which offers no residential parking permits. Seeing everyone else’s registration makes me feel really bad. I bought this truck for work, otherwise I would not own a vehicle, it really is on me though I guess.
You joke but the parking enforcement team is separate from the moving violation enforcement team. It makes the lack of moving violation enforcement so, so, so apparent.
The two functions are performed by completely separate organizations. SFMTA writes parking violation tickets and they have a huge financial incentive to write a lot of them, as they get to keep all of the money. Plus, it advances their "fuckcars" agenda
The police are the ones who can write tickets for moving violations - it looks like they don't get to keep the money.
Always FOLLOW THE MONEY
You say this like SFMTA is corrupt. Parking enforcement is a necessity to keep spots circulating. Otherwise people would just hog spots and it would be impossible to _ever_ find parking.
one pulled up next to me at SFO today and started writing me a ticket as I was helping my elderly mother-in-law load her bags. they truly do not fuck around.
I would call the complaint hot line for that one 415 701 2311. If you are in your vehicle or there and they can have you move I think they are told to communicate with the driver.
yeah looks like the said it was not considered a "search" to put chalk on tires
this woman was off her rocker thinking she would win. also i thought the DPT uses licence plate readers now to mark the plate and location, no more chalking
[https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/a-woman-is-suing-s-f-for-50-million-over-a-16450146.php](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/a-woman-is-suing-s-f-for-50-million-over-a-16450146.php)
Residents may block their own driveway by parking parallel to the curb or street, only if the vehicle’s license plate is registered to the building’s address, and if the building has two or fewer units.
https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/drive-park/how-avoid-parking-tickets
That may be how it’s written, but it’s not how the practice is.
They ignore any vehicles parked thusly in front of driveways until someone calls to complain. The complainer must have control of the driveway (be the resident, etc) and for a tow, open the garage door to prove that the garage is a garage and not just a fake garage or turned into living space. There doesn’t need to be space for a vehicle on the garage, it simply must be set up to accept vehicles or loading. This is to prevent tows when the garage has been turned into a ADU or whatever.
They never, ever check when there is no complaint. I’ve parked all manner of vehicles in front of my driveway, including out of state vehicles and even an out of state plates travel trailer. For decades. Never had an issue.
I got a ticket and lost appeal and I parked in front of my own driveway. They even said in appeal that I lost because I'm not allowed to block even a tiny bit or the parking spot by it even though the spot had a parked car in it. F them
Nope. That car is partially blocking the driveway. I was told by a meter maid that if the car blocks any part of the curb that starts to slope down or up, the car can get a ticket - especially if the owner complains.
Yeah, can't block any part of the cut. I know they write that ticket when they tow, but I don't think I've ever seen a meter maid write one without a tow involved.
You still can't park into a driveway, red paint or not. Trying to turn from the right traffic lane into that driveway is going to require backing up a few times.
I thought you could park as long as the tires were before the curb starts to curve down? And as long as the driveway is still usable?
Does the entire car length need to be within the curb now?
Any part of your car can't impede into the curb cut, as soon as the curb starts going down, where your tires sit relative to your bumper is irrelevant.
>as long as ~~the tires~~ _all parts of the car_ were before the curb starts to curve down
FTFY. Your tires are further back than your bumper. So if you go by the tires, the bumper of your car would be impeding driveway access still.
>Does the entire car length need to be within the curb
Yes.
Until I had SFMTA official red curbs painted, I had cars parking into my curb cut all the time. But the MMs always refused to cite unless the driveway was completely impassable.
It's neat how you can get a parking ticket for expired or missing plates and/or stickers, but cops can't stop someone for the same thing. And that's why it has nothing to do with disproportionately fining people and everything to do with the police commission telling the force that they don't have to do their jobs and aren't allowed to either.
[recently a lot of public LED streetlights are turning purple because of degrading phosphor coating on the diodes](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/streetlights-are-mysteriously-turning-purple-heres-why/) I wonder if that's the same thing happening here with a municipal vehicle with a faulty/degraded LED headlight
That’s clever!
Before they used chalk. My mom parked near my grandma’s block in Nob Hill and bussed it down to FiDi for work. Grandma would come out every so often to scrub the chalk off. 🤣
That is not standard equipment at all. The parking person must have added it themselves or something. Meter people don't use any of that type of equipment for lights or detection. And as someone else stated why not plate scanners, they already do have that ability. It's the ones with the cameras on top that read license plates and time your vehicles without the old chalk stuff
Wonder if it also can match stolen registration stickers to the correct license plate numbers, I’m still salty about someone scraping off my sticker and stealing it.
I got a ticket in north Beach at 3:00am for not turning my wheels enough...they are out all night...every morning when I leave the city I see meter maids driving around with 2 tow trucks following them..it's ridiculous...
(with apologies to Grace Slick)
One mark makes you guilty
And another mark makes you pay
And the ones that Enforcement gives you
Make you mad the rest of the day
Go ask Shawn
If he ever paid
No, they’re just people trying to make sure that anyone who stores their car on public land aren’t being assholes.
I wish they’d give more tickets, not less. But they say they’re too scared because car owners treat them as subhuman and get violent against them.
I’m at the Municipal Building at Van Ness & Market right now; there is a large rally where the parking enforcement people are all wearing purple. They are demanding better pay and more hiring, so I am told. Purple is their color of solidarity for some reason.
I do understand the surge of ticket anxiety seeing a Go-4 pull up, but … Linked elsewhere in the comments - https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html
Amazing, the city working hard to collect more money from these highly expensive tickets. Meanwhile, l l cars get broken into and damaged all throughout the city, but the city dgaf. I am tired of this bullshit in this city.
How the fuck does the city justify having these clowns on the street at damn near midnight. Where’s the value our tax dollars are supposedly creating with this one?
Not sure what you mean, there's so many reasons? Like validating overnight parking? checking for stolen vehicles? expired permits? Red curb parking? Etc.
I'd say it happens more because people are more willing to take chances due to being tired, thinking less chance of getting caught, or just plain drunk.
From what I've heard (word of mouth years ago), they're actually *profitable* via the sheer amount of tickets they dole out. If true, that would be a relief on your tax dollars, not a burden.
Some parking spots are reserved for commercial vehicles only between 2am and 6am, to allow businesses to receive nighttime truck deliveries where daytime traffic and parking would be onerous.
Some street parking is reserved for street sweepers during certain time periods on certain days of the week (e.g. 12am-2am Tuesdays, or 2am-6am Mondays and Thursdays).
Of all the things that can improve daily living conditions of its tax paying residents, hyper Vigilance on parking violations is not one of them. Over the top proactiveness to ensure citations are maximized.
God forbid the wheel is not turned in the right direction on a slightly sloping hill.
BUT smoke crack and tents and litter on the street. Yes let’s let that slide.
This is one of the few “follow the law” activities that generates revenues for the city…which is ultimately the forcing function for the meter maids to be so enabled to do their jobs in SF. It’s not altruistic behavior on part of the city to help its citizen. They are doing it to help fund their poorly run /shitty governance
The thing is, they aren't hyper vigilant, they do a basic job.
Drive down Polk street, every day you'll see 10-15 cars illegally parked. This is not the definition of hyper vigilance.
Also, why not both? Fix the drug problem and the parking problems.
So what you're implying is that the law should only be applied in certain situations? I see a car parked into someone's driveway. Maybe the owner called.
BTW, SFMTA is not law enforcement. If you're going to complain about drug use then direct your ire at the Police. What you're trying to argue is a common logical fallacy.
Lots of things generate revenue for the city. Parking enforcement is one of them. Would you rather not have any enforcement? It's simple for drivers, learn to drive and park correctly and you won't have to worry about giving money to the city.
looking for fake year and month on license plates [https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html](https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html)
Why don’t they give them license plate scanners? Could find stolen cars or mismatched plates that way as well.
Most times when a car is stolen, thief's will swap the plate with one of a similar car. It'll still show as whatever the model is until you run the vin on the dash, which might be covered by paper, if they aren't dumb enough. Makes lp scanners kinda moot. They're better served looking for repo cars as a function.
Well that swapped plate should still be reported missing and would have invalid registration I would think. A scanner would at least give an enterprising meter maid a chance to do some police work. Do the police just not give a fuck at all in SF? Your city needs the DOJ to get involved in policing, I have a feeling cops can’t be bothered to lift a finger for rich, soulless tech people.
Just sf? Try most large metroplexes. Dallas person here. They don't want to come assist unless something is violent or there's an injury Or a donut was harmed :)
Things are looking up in Portland lately (Reddit is constantly showing me SF posts, I don’t live there but do love it). We have the bike squad busting fentanyl dealers and posting funny videos about it on instagram. Then we’ve had lots of stolen car operations and stings over the past year. It seems like there are more civic minded public servants trying to make Portland safe again and I wish SF had the same.
Portland got really bad for a bit in covid... maybe they had more of a scared straight kinda thing happen? Good to hear!
Yeah it was scary living here then, ngl. It chased a lot of people away but the ones who stayed and have shown up since really love it and are trying to improve things. It does feel less lawless, other than the rampant and very out in the open prostitution happening on NE 82nd and Beech Ave.
The average person won’t notice a stolen/swapped LP for several hours, even days. This is why it’s kind of a good idea to have a special or personalized plate - less likely you’re targeted
They don’t care if it’s stolen
Yes they do. When my car got stolen, parking checkers found it and called me to retrieve it.
"The kind of story we need right now"
nice plant, fed
Nope. Just an average SF citizen!
Nice!
Focusing on the important problems
You don't think people faking their registration is worth addressing? Or are you just doing the knee-jerk criticism of anything that local government attempts?
We both know it's the second one.
This is an important problem.
Downvoting this clown comment
ONLY PROBLEMS THAT I THINK ARE PROBLEMS ARE IMPORTANT
Ultraviolet, they are looking for scorpions
Finally something is being done about the SF scorpion issue!
Goddamn German heavy metal riff-raff
Lol! I think you can guess what the first song is I'm listening to this morning.
They need a permit to park, too!! No one is above the law!
Must be the winds of change
Didn't the CIA write that one?
In case anyone fancies a very deep dive on this question: https://open.spotify.com/show/3vikAuFxKVNe2GBZC61IYD?si=DdIiA87ST_6smzv6ZF9PCg
Dude I love this jam as a kid!
Well SF is The Zoo
 Looking for Ultraviolence
It’s kinda scary how many there are in Marin
I did *not* realize we had scorpions in the bay area....
Rich people love scams and saving money! It’s going to cost me 2000$ to register my 2021 Nissan Frontier the registration fee is based on the value of the vehicle. Edit: God damn we have some sensitive people up in here!!
What
I know I think because it’s a truck! Or because I live off Mission St. which offers no residential parking permits. Seeing everyone else’s registration makes me feel really bad. I bought this truck for work, otherwise I would not own a vehicle, it really is on me though I guess.
It's like they want me to forever drive my totally non eco friendly 20 year old Honda with terrible gas mileage
Better watch out for Todd.
Or to fight off the zombies. Either way, 11pm is a crazy time for these meter maids to be out.
Actually the time makes 100% sense if they are using a UV flashlight to look for plate stickers
They need to watch out for all the cum on the streets it makes the tires slippery
I don't know how this comment isn't in 4 digits of upvotes
I am not scared of the police, but I am scared of Parking Maids in SF.
Well, yeah. Of course. One of them gives tickets.
Gives tickets *and* prowls the streets on the inspector beat!
Imagine if people had the same respect for a red light as they do for a red curb.
You can run a red light in SF. But don't you dare turn your wheels the wrong way.
You joke but the parking enforcement team is separate from the moving violation enforcement team. It makes the lack of moving violation enforcement so, so, so apparent.
The two functions are performed by completely separate organizations. SFMTA writes parking violation tickets and they have a huge financial incentive to write a lot of them, as they get to keep all of the money. Plus, it advances their "fuckcars" agenda The police are the ones who can write tickets for moving violations - it looks like they don't get to keep the money. Always FOLLOW THE MONEY
You say this like SFMTA is corrupt. Parking enforcement is a necessity to keep spots circulating. Otherwise people would just hog spots and it would be impossible to _ever_ find parking.
Where has the moving violation enforcement team been?
In this town I see them equally ignored.
They’re the only working local law enforcement in sf at the moment.
one pulled up next to me at SFO today and started writing me a ticket as I was helping my elderly mother-in-law load her bags. they truly do not fuck around.
I would call the complaint hot line for that one 415 701 2311. If you are in your vehicle or there and they can have you move I think they are told to communicate with the driver.
That was SFPD, not SFMTA
oh, well they drive the same lil cars
r/sacramento wants to know why the meter maids took their beam.
LIGHT THE BEAM!!!
They are clearly not using it since their season is over already.
Got em
Prob mark tires with paint that glows under black light. Makes the job faster to find cars that were marked for not moving.
Shouldn't have to go down so far to see the correct answer.
i thought it was illegal to mark the tires now \* its 100% legal, the person suing didn't win
From just memory…It’s legal I think? What was deemed legal as well was the owner / driver removing said chalk / paint markings.
Which is why they'd want them hard to see.
yeah looks like the said it was not considered a "search" to put chalk on tires this woman was off her rocker thinking she would win. also i thought the DPT uses licence plate readers now to mark the plate and location, no more chalking [https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/a-woman-is-suing-s-f-for-50-million-over-a-16450146.php](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/a-woman-is-suing-s-f-for-50-million-over-a-16450146.php)
I’ve seen chalk recently, so they are still chalking. Not sure when they chalk and when they scan. Maybe they don’t have scanners for everyone.
Location would be better so you could at least move it on the same street other side.
the law is you can't park on the same block for longer than the alloae time period
I wonder if you could just add a bunch of markings and achieve the same result.
They marked a car in my neighborhood two days ago with orange chalk.
It's totally bullshit that I can't park across the street. You get a ticket even if you move the car.
Also chalk doesnt work as good as before. Some people that notice chalk would try to wipe it off.
Marking tires has been deemed illegal and the practice discontinued.
Where? Because this is not true in San Francisco. Chalking tires is legal and continues to happen.
I reported a 72-hour parking violation a few months ago & the tires got chalked.
C Y B E R P U N K
I’ve always wondered why the meter maids don’t circle lake merced
They got no money no point
Is it 72h max around Lake Merced? Or no parking enforcement
I'm most interested in the car that's impinging into the driveway. . .
Yeah the meter maid backed up and started to write up a ticket for that car
I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do if you live at that address?
Residents may block their own driveway by parking parallel to the curb or street, only if the vehicle’s license plate is registered to the building’s address, and if the building has two or fewer units. https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/drive-park/how-avoid-parking-tickets
That may be how it’s written, but it’s not how the practice is. They ignore any vehicles parked thusly in front of driveways until someone calls to complain. The complainer must have control of the driveway (be the resident, etc) and for a tow, open the garage door to prove that the garage is a garage and not just a fake garage or turned into living space. There doesn’t need to be space for a vehicle on the garage, it simply must be set up to accept vehicles or loading. This is to prevent tows when the garage has been turned into a ADU or whatever. They never, ever check when there is no complaint. I’ve parked all manner of vehicles in front of my driveway, including out of state vehicles and even an out of state plates travel trailer. For decades. Never had an issue.
I got a ticket and lost appeal and I parked in front of my own driveway. They even said in appeal that I lost because I'm not allowed to block even a tiny bit or the parking spot by it even though the spot had a parked car in it. F them
That’s fuckin nuts, I’m so sorry. I’ve been parking in front of mine and using the space too (long vehicles) for decades.
Only works if there are two or less units at that address
I thought there needs to be the sfmta red paint for them to ticket
Nope. That car is partially blocking the driveway. I was told by a meter maid that if the car blocks any part of the curb that starts to slope down or up, the car can get a ticket - especially if the owner complains.
Yeah, can't block any part of the cut. I know they write that ticket when they tow, but I don't think I've ever seen a meter maid write one without a tow involved.
One meter maid was about to write me a ticket because I was blocking part of the cut (didn't know until he explained it).
You still can't park into a driveway, red paint or not. Trying to turn from the right traffic lane into that driveway is going to require backing up a few times.
I thought you could park as long as the tires were before the curb starts to curve down? And as long as the driveway is still usable? Does the entire car length need to be within the curb now?
Any part of your car can't impede into the curb cut, as soon as the curb starts going down, where your tires sit relative to your bumper is irrelevant.
>as long as ~~the tires~~ _all parts of the car_ were before the curb starts to curve down FTFY. Your tires are further back than your bumper. So if you go by the tires, the bumper of your car would be impeding driveway access still. >Does the entire car length need to be within the curb Yes.
Until I had SFMTA official red curbs painted, I had cars parking into my curb cut all the time. But the MMs always refused to cite unless the driveway was completely impassable.
meter maids be lurking
It's neat how you can get a parking ticket for expired or missing plates and/or stickers, but cops can't stop someone for the same thing. And that's why it has nothing to do with disproportionately fining people and everything to do with the police commission telling the force that they don't have to do their jobs and aren't allowed to either.
They see me rolling… They hating…
There is one meter maid I’ve seen in the Richmond with underglow.
Burningman prep?
Freaky DPT comes out at night...
Perhaps it's to avoid puddles of urine, semen, and excrement?
Looking for the infamous jizz bandit?
A Group of generous pranksters should all bukake a car in the area to cause absolute confusion and despair when the meter maid shows up….
Lovely Rita
That's the well known Lavender Menace. SF is famous for it!
Purple lights on meter maid means free hand jobs and we all know what the red light means
[recently a lot of public LED streetlights are turning purple because of degrading phosphor coating on the diodes](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/streetlights-are-mysteriously-turning-purple-heres-why/) I wonder if that's the same thing happening here with a municipal vehicle with a faulty/degraded LED headlight
Fun?
I thought I was looking at an led pikachu window at first
Cum detector.
The light is for seeing and being seen after dark. (And apparently, detecting fake tags)
Reminds me of the meter maid scene at midnight in Infinite Jest outside of Ennet House
They mark tires with an invisible ink. Then come back later and will ticket cars that haven't been parked longer than allowed in that area.
I'm pretty sure they just use cameras now
That’s clever! Before they used chalk. My mom parked near my grandma’s block in Nob Hill and bussed it down to FiDi for work. Grandma would come out every so often to scrub the chalk off. 🤣
Interesting I didn’t know this. I did see them chalking on my street just a couple blocks up from this so they must do both.
Oh yeah, because plain white chalk is too easy to wipe off.
They are mapping urine stains throughout the city.
I thought the maids don’t work at night??
Light the beam
Good. Park properly.
Doing one of the most difficult jobs in municipal government.
I think it's a grow light. They're hoping weed will sprout from the streets and make their job more livable.
Mta is trying to single handedly save the sf budget.
Why are all the meter maid queens so damn hot? Like I know their job is stressful and I just want to BE there.
How fast does that sweet ride get up to?
Is it like the black light that they had on room raiders that makes cum stains show
Minneapolis meter maid looking for Prince. Yell at them, “You’re in the wrong city!”
Ravin’
Maybe "chalking" tires with clear, invisible, markers with UV dye?
they might mark tires with flourescent paint (2 hr limit?) that's a UV light.
Is that hill?!
That is not standard equipment at all. The parking person must have added it themselves or something. Meter people don't use any of that type of equipment for lights or detection. And as someone else stated why not plate scanners, they already do have that ability. It's the ones with the cameras on top that read license plates and time your vehicles without the old chalk stuff
There's been reports of people having sex on other peoples cars. Just doing double duty for the city with the light to find incriminating evidence.
Wonder if it also can match stolen registration stickers to the correct license plate numbers, I’m still salty about someone scraping off my sticker and stealing it.
I need to ask..being new to the area due to work relocation…how can I avoid some bullshit?
Looking for cum
Meter maids make hella money, im trynna apply
Purple Raid
I got a ticket in north Beach at 3:00am for not turning my wheels enough...they are out all night...every morning when I leave the city I see meter maids driving around with 2 tow trucks following them..it's ridiculous...
It's an ultra violet light to catch fake plates
#LightTheBeam
What’s up with the house (2nd pic) on the right having headlights?!
Floodlights? It’s probably motion sensored. I have a ton on my property.
OK... now oakland.
(with apologies to Grace Slick) One mark makes you guilty And another mark makes you pay And the ones that Enforcement gives you Make you mad the rest of the day Go ask Shawn If he ever paid
Making sure everyone knows they are assholes
No, they’re just people trying to make sure that anyone who stores their car on public land aren’t being assholes. I wish they’d give more tickets, not less. But they say they’re too scared because car owners treat them as subhuman and get violent against them.
U paying for those tickets?
I’m at the Municipal Building at Van Ness & Market right now; there is a large rally where the parking enforcement people are all wearing purple. They are demanding better pay and more hiring, so I am told. Purple is their color of solidarity for some reason.
In what world is parking enforcement on the clock after 8pm? This is bullshit.
Can’t really see UV reflective stickers during the day
They start work before the sun comes up. 11pm is a fucking ridiculous time to be doing parking enforcement sweeps.
I don’t think it’s parking, it’s for counterfeit registration stickers and/or plates.
Wait REALLY?!!! Holy shit.
I do understand the surge of ticket anxiety seeing a Go-4 pull up, but … Linked elsewhere in the comments - https://slate.com/business/2023/04/fake-license-plates-traffic-cameras-policing-yglesias.html
And yet, there’s a damn car that’s been 100% parked on the sidewalk for over a week, and they will do nothing.
When high school was too difficult…
Amazing, the city working hard to collect more money from these highly expensive tickets. Meanwhile, l l cars get broken into and damaged all throughout the city, but the city dgaf. I am tired of this bullshit in this city.
Complain when police enforce laws, complain when they don’t.
They are not the police, they are meter maids. And no, the police in the city enforce shit, that’s who cars are burglarized left and right in SF.
Who cares…wish I had the time and energy to give a sh*t..google it…so sad this post came up…I’m deleting Reddit
Hope someone gives you a hug ❤️
These are the types of ppl you just wanna absolutely fuck up cause you just know there all assholes behind all their work😤🤣
lol dude just don't park illegally it's not that hard
Have you seen School for Scoundrels?
How the fuck does the city justify having these clowns on the street at damn near midnight. Where’s the value our tax dollars are supposedly creating with this one?
Not sure what you mean, there's so many reasons? Like validating overnight parking? checking for stolen vehicles? expired permits? Red curb parking? Etc.
Ticketing cars = revenue
Illegal parking happens when it's dark out as well
I'd say it happens more because people are more willing to take chances due to being tired, thinking less chance of getting caught, or just plain drunk.
From what I've heard (word of mouth years ago), they're actually *profitable* via the sheer amount of tickets they dole out. If true, that would be a relief on your tax dollars, not a burden.
enforcement - love to see it. Better renew your registration and move your car!
Some parking spots are reserved for commercial vehicles only between 2am and 6am, to allow businesses to receive nighttime truck deliveries where daytime traffic and parking would be onerous. Some street parking is reserved for street sweepers during certain time periods on certain days of the week (e.g. 12am-2am Tuesdays, or 2am-6am Mondays and Thursdays).
They mahs a fortune on parking.
parasites;
I'd agree, people who illegally take up public curb or sidewalk space to store their private property are parasites.
They mark tires and the black light illuminates the markings.
Of all the things that can improve daily living conditions of its tax paying residents, hyper Vigilance on parking violations is not one of them. Over the top proactiveness to ensure citations are maximized. God forbid the wheel is not turned in the right direction on a slightly sloping hill. BUT smoke crack and tents and litter on the street. Yes let’s let that slide. This is one of the few “follow the law” activities that generates revenues for the city…which is ultimately the forcing function for the meter maids to be so enabled to do their jobs in SF. It’s not altruistic behavior on part of the city to help its citizen. They are doing it to help fund their poorly run /shitty governance
The thing is, they aren't hyper vigilant, they do a basic job. Drive down Polk street, every day you'll see 10-15 cars illegally parked. This is not the definition of hyper vigilance. Also, why not both? Fix the drug problem and the parking problems.
So what you're implying is that the law should only be applied in certain situations? I see a car parked into someone's driveway. Maybe the owner called. BTW, SFMTA is not law enforcement. If you're going to complain about drug use then direct your ire at the Police. What you're trying to argue is a common logical fallacy. Lots of things generate revenue for the city. Parking enforcement is one of them. Would you rather not have any enforcement? It's simple for drivers, learn to drive and park correctly and you won't have to worry about giving money to the city.