San Francisco transit officials are looking to crack down on drivers who clog intersections during rush hour, making it hard for other drivers, as well pedestrians and bicyclists.
City leaders say stepped-up enforcement is needed to ensure drivers don’t block traffic. The San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency wants to put parking control officers at key intersections leading to the Bay Bridge in order to catch drivers who illegally stop in the intersection, forcing pedestrians to weave between cars to cross the street.
Results from a pilot program show drivers behave better when there is enforcement, transit officials said. In fact, according to SFMTA, incidents of intersection clogging dropped 82 percent on days parking control officers were positioned in the area.
“We will ticket you, and it’s a financial reminder that it’s just not worth it,” said Peter Albert, SFMTA’s urban planning initiatives manager. “It’s all about people getting along and being civil at these intersections, and you won’t get there that much faster, but you will get there a lot cheaper without the ticket if you behave based on the traffic rules that we set up.”
During the pilot program, over a two-day period, 95 tickets were issued. The penalty for blocking an intersection is just over $100.
The SFMTA is working with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to make the pilot program permanent.
