by Jessica KwongThe abolishment of Sunday parking meter enforcement, arguably the most controversial issue the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board passed in its two-year budget last month, has come under legal attack.
Livable City, the San Francisco Transit Riders Union and Mario Tanev, a spokesman for the union, filed an environmental appeal Wednesday of the transit agency's decision to revoke Sunday enforcement starting July 1.
The appellants requested the Board of Supervisors reverse the SFMTA's decision, pointing out that the transit agency's own analysis revealed Sunday parking meter operation reduced congestion and circling for parking.
The SFMTA failed to analyze the traffic and environmental impacts of eliminating Sunday parking enforcement as required under the California Environmental Quality Act, the appeal claims. And on the policy front, the program runs counter to The City's transit-first policy, said the appellants' attorney James Birkelund.
"They just started doing Sunday meter enforcement and now they're going backwards in time," Birkelund said. "Neighborhoods and pedestrians and bicyclists will experience more traffic on Sundays and that has a host of impacts."
Sunday meters were put into effect January 2013 and brought in about $11 million per year, but the SFMTA board followed Mayor Ed Lee's request to discontinue them because the transit agency is in better financial shape and could receive $1.5 billion over 15 years if voters pass two bond measures in November.
"We are currently reviewing the appeal," SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose said. "So it would not be appropriate to comment at this time."