As the city instructed residents to shelter in place as of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning, many awoke to an unwelcome surprise: tickets for not moving their vehicles for street sweeping.
Shelter in place, but move your car for street sweeping. That’s pretty lame @sfmta_muni @LondonBreed pic.twitter.com/GIYpWj7AqD
— Mike (@cambridgemike) March 17, 2020
Alright @sfmta_muni street cleaning ticket #2! you're really kicking a guy while he's down huh pic.twitter.com/Rj6WiZxt1P
— William Salmen (@SalmenWilliam) March 17, 2020
District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney chimed in with criticism:
No one should receive parking tickets for street sweeping or meters while we ask people to "shelter in place."
— Matt Haney (@MattHaneySF) March 17, 2020
I've heard this morning from constituents about getting tickets for street sweeping.
We should only enforce parking rules that are essential to protect public safety.
But there's good news for those who got tickets today. Mayor London Breed announced this afternoon that tickets for street cleaning that had already been issued today will be waived.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has also made the decision to not ticket for street sweeping through the end of the month. Nonetheless, Breed called on neighbors to still move their cars if they're able.
"It is crucial that we still clean our streets to prevent trash buildup and local flooding," she said in a statement. The SFMTA will also not be enforcing 72-hour parking limits, residential permit parking and peak-hour tow-away zones during the shutdown.
However, not all offenses will be let off the hook. In a blog post yesterday, the SFMTA said that it would continue to ticket parking in red, yellow and fire hydrant zones; "no stopping" or "no parking" areas; bike and transit lanes; and blocked driveways.
Pandemics also aren't an exemption from city parking meters — you'll still need to pay up, or risk a ticket. The goal is to "ensure spaces are available for people who are driving and parking for critical trips," the SFMTA said on Twitter.
For more on the shelter-in-place order, visit the City of San Francisco's website.