The Real Purpose of Street Cleaning

This article got me all riled up this morning.

It's pretty common knowledge that the street sweeping program exists to generate revenue from parking tickets. If the "city officials" didn't see this coming, then they are less aware then they are given credit for.

The article points out that the MTA will be looking at a $3.8 million shortfall of lost revenue- from decreases in parking tickets alone!. Given that this coincides with a 26% reduction, that means the city receives roughly $15 million a year in parking tickets- just from street sweeping (assuming the article is correct). Clearly, San Francisco parking tickets are big business.

Ever try to fight a ticket? It's damn near impossible. The amount of people that have stories about getting BS tickets, and just paying them because it's too hard to contest them, is staggering (based on my informal verbal study of the matter).



I tried once (I got a ticket near USF. I was parked in a 2 hour zone for all of 15 minutes and got a ticket for exceeding the 2 hours). I sent in a letter saying I wasn't there and had receipts and witnesses to prove I wasn't there when they said I was... appeal denied. I could give up a day of work to sit in court all day to talk to a judge, but it's easier to pay the $40 (at the time) ticket.

Satan's Minions (aka meter maids) can do whatever the hell they want. The are beyond reproach. In some ways they're worse than the TSA, way more authority than purpose. They can do whatever they want and get away with it. Given the job requirements (GED?) it's no wonder that the allure of unchecked power attracts the kind of people that do this. (OK, most of the are probably no more evil than your average government beaurocrat, but others- I'm looking at you conservatory bike dude- are a blight on humanity)

Uh oh, this is turning into a parking rant.

The point is, the city plans on parking ticket revenue, it likes it. Is the curb paint wearing out? Good, harder to interpret= more tickets. Street cleaning signs obscured or missing? Good if people can't tell they shouldn't park there, they will = more tickets.

All of this to generate funds for the MTA, perhaps the worst tranpsortation authority in the nation.

Now if they were using that money to build bike lanes, then they'd be on to something.