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City launches pay‑by‑phone parking and an eight‑day Chinatown pedestrian pilot
Summary
Mayor Ed Lee and SFMTA leaders launched a pay‑by‑phone parking trial in the Castro and announced a short Chinatown pilot to expand pedestrian space and merchant usage ahead of Chinese New Year.
The city announced on Jan. 19 the rollout of a pay‑by‑phone parking option as part of the SF Park program and a short pilot in Chinatown to expand pedestrian and merchant space ahead of Chinese New Year.
SFMTA Director Ed Ryskin described the pay‑by‑phone service as a tool to make parking compliance easier and reduce enforcement friction. Mayor Ed Lee joined the announcement, saying the program will be available initially in the Castro and rolled out to other neighborhoods. Graham Burd, representing the pay‑by‑phone vendor, described features including text reminders, mobile web and smartphone apps and an NFC tag option to start a parking session.
Separately, city staff and Chinatown merchants described an eight‑day pilot during the busy pre‑New‑Year shopping period to repurpose select curb spaces for pedestrian and merchant use while maintaining transit and delivery operations. Supervisor Scott Wiener and SFMTA leaders said the pilot includes safety oversight and coordination with police, public works and merchants to balance pedestrian improvements and transit reliability.
The SFMTA said the pay‑by‑phone service charges a per‑transaction convenience fee to users and that enforcement officers’ handheld devices will reflect electronic payments in real time. The city framed both initiatives as technology‑enabled steps to reduce parking search traffic and support neighborhood economic activity.
