San Francisco is fast-tracking citywide RV parking restrictions, with new legislation set to be introduced at the September 17 San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board meeting, according to documents obtained by El Tecolote through the California Public Records Act.
This push comes just weeks after more than 120 mobile homes used as shelter were displaced from streets near San Francisco State University. Since then, dozens of RV residents, many of them working-class Latinx families, have been scattered across other city neighborhoods, struggling every night to find a safe place to park.
SFMTA intends to present the plan at the September 17 board of directors meeting, and the legislation could take effect 31 days after approval, potentially leaving hundreds of vehicle residents with even fewer options for shelter, and raising questions about the city’s long-term solutions for homelessness.
SF’s proposed changes to oversized vehicle legislation
Current restrictions under Traffic Code 7.2.54 introduced in 2012, prohibit large vehicles from parking between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. in posted areas. However, a 2023 First District Court ruling barred SFMTA from towing vehicles without a warrant, even if they have multiple unpaid tickets. This has complicated enforcement.
The proposed amendments to this traffic code would make the violation of overnight parking a towable offense, in addition to a citation of $108 where there is a posted sign. It would expand the number of streets with parking restrictions, as well as the SFMTA’s power to enforce the rules.
The SFMTA estimates enforcement could cost around $350,000 annually, while the full project, including construction and implementation of parking restrictions citywide, could total up to $50 million, according to a planning department permit.
The full project scope, including the expansion of parking restrictions, will be implemented based on public safety, health concerns, and data gathered from the Healthy Streets Operations Center and 311 complaints. Restrictions will be prioritized in areas where there are conflicts or impacts related to the long-term parking of large vehicles, rather than a blanket citywide rollout.
Key provisions of the latest draft of the legislation dated September 13 include:
- Less community input: Parking restrictions can now be installed at the discretion of SFMTA without a public hearing.
- Expansion of authority: Director of Transportation, Jeff Tumlin, would gain the authority to enforce restrictions citywide without the need for Board approval, except for long-term closures, which would still require SFMTA Board review.
- Impact assessments: Signs would only be installed if it’s determined that oversized vehicles affect traffic, public health, or safety.
- Shelter before enforcement: Parking enforcement against RV residents would start only after shelter offers are made, following outreach efforts by the Healthy Streets Operations Center (SFHOT). Signs will be installed in the designated areas before enforcement begins, with officers able to tow vehicles violating the code without offering shelter.
- Add RV definition: A “Recreational Large Vehicle” would be defined to include trailers, house cars, mobile homes, and other large vehicles.
“Mayor Breed’s inclusion of ‘service offers’ as a means to force people to give up their homes for a temporary shelter bed is nonsensical and counterintuitive,” said the Coalition of Homelessness in a statement. “Our city’s shelter waitlist is 12-days long. By compelling the 90% of unsheltered homeless families who live in vehicles into temporary shelter and dispossessing them of their homes, the Mayor is forcing families into further instability and keeping those on the waitlist unsheltered for longer.”
The resolution also introduces new tools for enforcement, including a “Text Before Tow” program, where vehicle owners can receive a text notification when their vehicle is at risk of being towed. Despite these efforts, the city has no immediate plans for additional safe parking sites, though tiny homes are expected to be introduced in Bayview by 2025.
Under the proposed project, towing would occur only after the Director of Transportation issues written findings based on these criteria:
- On a Slow Street.
- In a metered zone.
- Within 100 feet of an intersection.
- In a Residential Parking Permit zone.
- On a street that contains bicycle lanes.
- Within 100 feet of an entry point to a park.
- Within 500 feet of a health care or education facility.
- On a street adjacent to a travel lane less than 11 feet wide.
- Where there are impacts, or potential impacts, to public health and safety.
- On a street within a Residential or Neighborhood Commercial zoning district.
- In such a way that impacts, or may impact, the execution of any construction project.
- Along transit routes, including Municipal Railway, regional transit service, and local shuttle service stops.
- In violation of the restrictions contained in Article 500, which governs weight-restricted streets, commercial vehicles in R, RM, and P districts, and commercial passenger vehicles on restricted streets
On August 24, city staff questioned the guidelines for towing oversized vehicles. Vyktoria Wise, SFMTA’s Chief of Staff, wrote in a memo: “ Some of the transportation criteria don’t make sense. Why do we care that an OV is parked at an entrance to a school/park between midnight and 6 a.m. No one is there anyway.”