City Can't Afford to Repave Streets

Cars exact a heavy toll on San Francisco's paved surfaces, and the city is struggling to finance residents' addiction to automobiles. With budgets getting tighter by the day, it's anyone's guess how we'll pay for repavement in the next year.

Revenue streams for street surfaces have been drying up lately, according to the Ex. In the past, the city borrowed money based on gas taxes, but the Mayor's budget director wants to find other sources. He warned that there's a backlog of projects and the budget to complete them is shrinking.

The city may eventually take the issue before voters with a general obligation bond. But that could be a tough sell, since voters turned down such a measure several years ago.

Meanwhile, a cabal of unscrupulous moms has been caught cheating the parking permit system by clogging the street with a fleet of fraudulently-permitted cars. An online discussion board for mothers was found to be offering tips for lying on forms, obtaining misleading doctors' notes, and altering stickers.

They're not the only ones too lazy to walk, bus, or ride a bike. A recent crackdown on ticket cheaters caught a large number of SFMTA employees who took bribes and fixed parking tickets for people who don't want to pay their fare share.

And in the Sunset, the city's gradually freeing neighborhoods of the burden of parking, a few spaces at a time. A new proposed parklet at Arizmendi Bakery would turn asphalt storage space into sidewalk seating. Residents and businessowners alike love the plan, which could be approved within a few weeks.