On Sunday, January 6, 2013 will expand Sunday parking meter charges throughout the city. They are also considering expansion of the evening hours for meters.

I am vehemently against this and feel this action on the part of the City and its transportation agency, the SFMTA will only serve to heighten San Francisco's already rapidly growing status as a city unfriendly to small businesses, citizens and visitors.

Sunday is the one day where we should not have to pay for street parking. Many of our leisurely activities like brunch with family and friends and a Sunday matinee would be direly impacted upon. Many businesses would lose customers to other Bay Area cities that have a friendlier stance with their citizens and visitors.

The SFMTA says that by forcing people to pay meters on Sunday between the hours of 12:00 Noon and 6:00 pm, there would be more of a turn over of customers for businesses. On paper this may make sense, but most eating at a restaurant spend more than one hour to complete their meal and visit. Are we to stop everything to run out and feed the meter? And what about attending a matinee? Again, we would be forced to leave the film to pay the meter. Also, residential neighborhoods will face an increase of parking traffic.

Now SFMTA says MUNI and parking lots are viable options; but they aren't for many people. MUNI does not run on a steady and reliable schedule to make this mode of transportation appealing to most people. Parking lots are pricey. It seems that San Francisco and the SFMTA, once again do not care about middle- or low-income people who live and visit here. This is a shame.

Please join me in letting San Francisco and the SFMTA know that we will fight their imposition of expanding Sunday meter parking charges; and hopefully we can revoke all Sunday parking meter charges. This is a bad idea all around.

Please sign my petition.

Thank you,
ayana baltrip

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