Pay-By-Plate Coming to Parking Meters

Pay-By-Plate Coming to Parking Meters
By Pamela Johnson

A change from pay-by-space to pay-by-license plate is coming to half of all parking meters in San Francisco on the heels of a four-month pay-by-plate parking meter pilot focused on Indiana Street in the Dogpatch that ended in March 2021.  

How it Works

Instead of entering your space number to pay for parking, you will enter your license plate number. When you pull into a parking space, head to the nearest paystation on the block, or reach for your smartphone, key in your license plate number and pay. Since the PayByPhone app stores your license plate number, you won’t have to remember or type it in every time when using the app. New overhead signage and decals on the paystations will let you know that the pay-by-plate system is in effect.

Look for signs that indicate Pay by License Plate is available

This new system comes with many benefits. Pay-by-plate gives you the option to pay at any pay station on your side of the block as you head to your destination. If you pay for parking but leave before your paid time expires, you may return to the same block and park without having to pay again, as long as you are within the original paid time. It also streamlines enforcement, giving parking control officers more time to focus on safety issues like double-parking and neighborhood concerns like residential permit parking enforcement.

The SFMTA is currently testing the pay-by-plate system to make it as effective as possible before rolling it out more widely. In early April, based on experience with the Dogpatch pilot, the SFMTA switched parking meters from pay-by-space to pay-by-plate on the 000 - 100 blocks of 10th Street, between Market and Howard Streets.  By December of 2022, half of the 28,000 parking spaces in San Francisco are expected to be converted to pay-by-plate.

According to Ted Graff, Director of Parking for the SFMTA’s Streets Division, “The move to pay-by-plate makes on-street parking more efficient. It takes advantage of new technology to streamline enforcement and reduce costs. And we plan to reinvest the time and money we save to make the parking experience, and parking enforcement, better all around the city.”

To learn more about the Dogpatch Parking Meter Pilot,  or how to pay for parking at a meter please visit the SFMTA parking website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published May 13, 2021 at 12:03AM
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Temporary HOV Lanes Approved for Historic Pilot Program

Temporary HOV Lanes Approved for Historic Pilot Program
By Stephen Chun

Muni buses and private vehicles with two or more occupants will soon see an innovative solution for San Francisco: High Occupancy Vehicle lanes (HOV) on city streets, approved by a 5-1 vote on April 20 by the SFMTA Board of Directors. The historic pilot program, in partnership with Caltrans, aims to increase person-carrying capacity and improve transit reliability on several major corridors through Golden Gate Park, the Marina District and Cow Hollow.

This HOV pilot will help customers who ride the 28 19th Avenue Muni line

The HOV lanes will be in effect weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the far-right lanes on State Route 1’s Crossover Drive (southbound only), Park Presidio Bypass and Park Presidio Boulevard between Lincoln Way and just north of Lake Street, and on U.S. 101’s Lombard Street and Richardson Avenue between Francisco and Lyon streets and Franklin and Gough streets.  

Caltrans is currently in the final stages of roadwork on Lombard Street.  Once that work is complete and Caltrans grants final approvals of the changes, the new HOV lanes will be striped. Park Presidio Boulevard should be restriped shortly thereafter. 

With these changes in place, the far-right lane can continue to be used by motorists for right turns, driveway access and access to curbside loading and parking spaces. No parking and loading spaces will be removed as part of the project. 

The pilot will end within 120 days after the city’s COVID-19 state of emergency order is lifted. The project could not be made permanent without an extensive public process and a second round of approvals by the SFMTA Board. A few weeks after implementation, the Agency will begin evaluating the project and gathering community input to determine if the pilot should be made permanent. 

Project Benefits 

In alignment with the Agency’s mission, the aim of these HOV lanes is to assist in moving more people as quickly and efficiently as possible. Efficient transit brings shorter and more reliable travel times for those who rely on public transit the most. These continued efforts to provide quicker travel times also improve the sustainability of our recovering economy.  

Studies conducted late last year show that one-third of vehicles on these routes already carry two or more occupants. As each of the project’s roadways is three lanes, there should only be minimal impact to traffic initially. Over time, if the share of single-occupant vehicles increases, transit and high occupancy vehicles would be protected from increasing traffic congestion.  The lanes could be converted from HOV-2 to HOV-3 later, increasing the required occupants per vehicle to three or more people if both the SFMTA and Caltrans agreed that doing so would further increase the total capacity of the roadway. 

Published May 11, 2021 at 04:15AM
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