We’re excited to tell you about changes we’ve made to our accessible parking map. The map shows the location of all accessible parking spaces across the city. These updates make it simpler for people with disabilities to find parking.
What is accessible parking?
Accessible parking spaces have special features for people with mobility disabilities. For example, we locate them near curb ramps. This helps people who use wheelchairs, walkers, canes or other mobility devices go from street level to the sidewalk.
We call accessible parking spaces “blue zones” because of the blue curb paint and blue signs we use to mark them. We try to add blue zones near common destinations such as shops, offices, libraries, public parks and playgrounds. This reduces the distance people with mobility disabilities must travel to their destinations.
To use a blue zone, you must have a disabled person parking placard or disabled person license plates. Without these permits, your vehicle may receive a ticket or be towed.
We add new accessible parking spaces all the time. In the last year, we installed 59 new blue zones. We installed these spaces as part of Quick-Build projects or based on requests from community members.
It's important to know that we only manage parking on city-owned streets. The Recreation and Park Department manages parking in city parks. The Presidio Trust manages parking in the Presidio. This includes accessible parking.
A view of our accessible parking map showing blue zones in neighborhoods near the Embarcadero.
Using the map
You can use the accessible parking map to find the most convenient blue zone near your destination in the city.
To view the map, visit the Blue Accessible Parking Zones webpage. We also have an accessible text version of blue zone locations that you can use with a screen reader.
Improving the data
Over the last year, we’ve been working hard to make our accessible parking map as accurate as possible.
We checked our list of almost 1,000 blue zones and verified each one. We compared our map to the list of accessible parking signs in our records to find blue zones that were not on the map.
We also linked our map to our new Sign Shop database so that it stays up to date. Now, any time we install a new accessible parking sign, the system adds that blue zone to our map.
How you can help
We will continue to improve our accessible parking map. We want it to be as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible. If you notice something isn’t right, let us know:
- If you see a blue zone in the city that isn’t on the map, please email us at AccessPlanning@sfmta.com and we will add it.
- You can also request a new blue zone by completing a color curb application on our website.
Prioritizing accessible parking
Accessible parking is an important part of creating a complete transportation system. Roughly one quarter of people in San Francisco are 60 years or older or live with some kind of disability. Many people in this group rely on accessible parking.
In 2014, we set a goal of making four out of every 100 metered parking spaces accessible. This goal matches government regulations for new projects.
We want to meet this goal everywhere in San Francisco, not only on new projects. You can learn more on our Accessible Parking webpage.