# Presentation: 205903

## San FranciscoDowntown Pick-Up and Delivery

- Gerald Robbins
- San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic
- www.sfgov.org/dpt

**Notes:**
Thank you jennifer and john
Examples of many of the issues John described
Conditions unique to San Francisco and California

## San Francisco Geography

- Water on
- 	3 Sides
- 47.4 Sq.
- 	 Miles
- Compact
-     Development

**Notes:**
2000 population 777,000
Metro area 6.7 million
Only 47 sq miles
Water on 3 sides
City grew up rather than out
Much denser than most US cities
184,000 downtown workers, 6th largest in US
Transit and pedestrian oriented
60% of downtown workers use transit
Only 0.61 vehicles per household – low 
475,000 registered vehicles
10,000 vehicles per square miles
Highest in US

## Downtown San Francisco

- Narrow Streets:  40’-50’ Wide Curb-to-Curb
- Not Many Alleys
- Limited Parking
- Office Development

**Notes:**
Downtown developed before auto age
Narrow streets
Now many alleys

## Downtown Parking

- Limited Supply
- Expensive
- Not Required Downtown
- 25 Percent Parking Tax

**Notes:**
Limited and expensive
Policy:  Off-street parking not required for new buildings
Want employees to use transit instead
Works – 60% of downtown employees arrive by transit
25 Percent parking tax
$30 day
Puts pressure on on-street supply

## Goods Movement Problems

- Many Ineffective Off-Street Docks
- Many On-Street Zones Occupied by Others
- Delivery Trucks Frequently Double-Park

## Off-Street Loading Docks

- Not Required Until 1957
- Most Only 35’ Deep
- Many Only 12’ High

**Notes:**
In  Planning Code
Administered by Planning Department as part of land use controls
Not required until 1957
35’ long
12 high in this case, - not big enough

## Loading Dock Problems

**Notes:**
Left slide:  dock not deep enough
Truck blocks sidewalk and traffic lane – buses on wrong side of street

Right slide:
Only 1 dock for 44 story building built in 60’s
Not occupied 24/7 by a trash compactor

## Loading Dock Problems (cont.)

**Notes:**
Left slide:  dock used for trash compactor, recycling, passenger car parking, disabled parking

Right slide:  Loading dock doors not opened.  Security issue?  Trucks use street instead

## Street Impacts

- Inside the Dock

- Outside the Dock

**Notes:**
Simultaneous shots inside and outside dock
Dock is well designed – deep and high enough
Used for passenger vehicles
Large trucks are pushed out to street 
Large trucks outside, have to roll goods in from street, one truck double-parked
Parking Control Officers can’t enforce
Worked with Planning Department get passenger cars out, provide for trash storage in new buildings
Not a priority for Planning Dept.

## On-Street Loading Zones

- Yellow Curbs in California
- Violators Can Be	Towed
- 30-Minute Time-Limit

**Notes:**
On-Street
Curb painted yellow – not standardized.  Many states don’t have colored curbs, yellow means no stopping in New Mexico

30 Minute Time Limit

## Non-Delivery Vehicles in Freight Zones 

**Notes:**
Many freight loading used by non-delivery vehicles
Left slide:  many contractors, tradesman work in buildings, electricians, plumbers, painters, copy machine repairers, etc.  
Not much provision for them off-street

Right slide:  limousine driver cools heels in freight loading zone while waiting for a customer, delivery truck double parks

## Non-Delivery Vehicles (cont.)

**Notes:**
Left Slide:  SUV .  May have commercial plates, not loading
Right slide:  passenger van and sports car in loading zones, truck double-parks

## Results:  Double-Parking, Congestion

**Notes:**
Result:  Double-Parking, congestion
Truck double parked in left slide is at end of block, forces all traffic to one-lane through intersection

## California Vehicle Code Section 22502

- Allows commercial vehicles to park more than 18” from the curb if reasonably necess- ary to accomplish loading or unloading of merchandise or passengers

**Notes:**
California law allows double parking
Truck drivers know law
Same in other states?

## Part-Time Loading Zones

**Notes:**
What do we do to accommodate”

Part-time loading zones, part time traffic lanes on left
Monday-Friday loading, Saturday general parking

## Special Truck Loading Zones

- “Trucks” Only
- Yellow and Black Curb
- No Station Wagons
- Doesn’t Address Vans, SUVs

**Notes:**

California definition of commercial vehicles – “designed or used primarily for the transportation of property”  All pick-up trucks. Vans, Station Wagons or SUVs, can get commercial plates.  Vehicle code doesn’t define truck, but does define station wagon.  SF defines truck as freight vehicle but not station wagon.

This 1960s ordinance defines them as commercial vehicles designed for transportation of goods, but not including station wagons

## Installed Parking Meters in Loading Zones

- Intended to reinforce 30-Minute Time Limit
- Companies Don’t Want to Give Drivers  Cash
- Not Actively Enforced

**Notes:**
Parking meters in loading zones
Hoped to help enforce 30 minute time limit
Don’t want to give cash to drivers
Not always enforced 

## Raised Parking Fines

- Recently Raised From $30 to $50
- Not Always a Deterrent

**Notes:**
Enforcement
Raised fines from $30 to $50
Not always a deterrent as shown

## Towing Violators

- Very Effective
- Lot of Gripes

**Notes:**
Towing out of loading zones
Very effective
$162 to get vehicle back
Lot of people say they didn’t understand
Too severe

## Trucks With 6 Wheels Only 

- Eliminates Pick-Ups, Vans and SUVs
- Some Resistance from 4-Wheeled Delivery Operators

**Notes:**
Most recent
Loading zones for vehicles with 6 or more wheels
Designed to prevent SUVs, contractor vehicles
Some 4-wheeled delivery vehicle operators not happy

## Other Approaches

- Debit Card Payment
- Higher Fines

**Notes:**
Other approaches
Upper Slide:  new parking meters can accept debit cards.  Same card being developed for transit users, not yet ready

Lower slide:  Higher fines for double parking in targeted areas – transit streets
Still able to double-park legally if no place at curb

Effective peak hours only 6-9 AM, 4-7 PM 
Not many enforcement people working those hours

Chicago requires vehicles in loading zones to use emergency flashers

## Conclusions

- Off-Street Docks – Better Coordination With Land Use Regulators
- On-Street Requires Vigorous Enforcement
- Need to Find Space for Contractors