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Mayor pledges stepped-up enforcement after supervisors press him on double parking's safety impacts
Summary
Supervisor Scott Wiener pressed Mayor Edwin Lee to make double-parking enforcement a priority where it affects transit, cyclists and pedestrians. The mayor called the practice "dangerous," pledged to meet with SFMTA and police and said he would personally try to stop double parking when he sees it.
Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents District 8, pressed Mayor Edwin Lee on the impact of illegal double parking in San Francisco, saying it disrupts transit service, endangers cyclists and pedestrians, and contributes to neighborhood traffic problems.
Wiener told the Board of Supervisors that "double parking literally stops muni light rails from, proceeding right into their tracks, and they have no way of moving around those double parked cars," and urged the mayor to set specific goals and metrics to ensure double-parking enforcement is prioritized where it harms transit riders.
The mayor called double parking "dangerous," and said he would take several steps to address the problem. "I appreciate your ongoing advocacy and support for public transportation in San Francisco, and I agree with you that double parking is not a harmless activity. In fact, it is dangerous," Mayor Lee said, adding that he would meet with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the San Francisco Police Department to identify ways to "change the culture" and better protect all street users.
Lee also made a personal pledge. Describing an instance he said he witnessed on Sixteenth Street, he told the board: "Everywhere I see this, I'm gonna stop it myself because I know, it's not just a passionate issue. It is dangerous on our streets." He said he would ask officers in his car to intervene when he observes double parking.
Wiener and other supervisors said double parking has particular consequences for transit reliability and street safety: it can block Muni buses and light-rail vehicles, force bicyclists out of protected lanes, and reduce visibility for pedestrians near crosswalks.
Mayor Lee cited recent SFMTA enforcement figures to note there has been increased activity citywide. Lee and Wiener both said further attention is needed in neighborhood corridors outside the downtown core, where supervisors described enforcement as intermittent.
Lee invited SFMTA and SFPD to report back and said the departments should be ready to discuss whether resource constraints require board-level budget action to expand enforcement. Wiener had asked specifically whether the mayor’s office would agree to a one-year report-back on stepped-up enforcement; Lee said he would carry that commitment forward.
Why it matters: Supervisors said neighborhood corridors already strained by growth and commercial loading need targeted enforcement and clearer loading/loading zone management to prevent safety and transit disruptions.
