On Tuesday, November 19, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors approved a resolution supporting a set of policy recommendations to improve parking access for people with disabilities. The recommendations, developed by a stakeholder group comprised primarily of people with disabilities, include proven solutions used in other jurisdictions. The group’s presentation began with a new short video showing the challenges people with disabilities face when trying to find available, accessible parking spaces.
The SFMTA Board resolution provides conceptual support for the Committee’s recommendations, but several of the recommendations require state law changes before local policies can change. The SFMTA Board added a requirement to the Committee’s recommendations directing the development of a discount program for low income people with disabled parking placards should state law changes move forward allowing communities to remove the meter payment exemption. This additional requirement is in direct response to public feedback that low income people with disabilities who travel by private vehicle may be negatively impacted by the shift from free parking to meter payment.
View Tuesday’s presentation, public comment, and SFMTA Board deliberation (click on agenda item 12)
The SFMTA and the Mayor’s Office on Disability will return to the community for additional input prior to establishing local time limits and meter payment requirements if state laws change to allow cities to implement these recommendations. It is at this point that the Board of Supervisors would review policy changes.
Read more about the Committee and its package of recommendations
As always, please send any feedback to parkingaccess@SFMTA.com.