Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Parking

New Video Sim Bets San Franciscans Will *Heart* Performance Parking

In a refreshing turn, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which runs Muni and manages the streets of San Francisco, has produced an informative and whimsical animated short explaining how their dynamic parking management pilot, SFPark, will work.

The video (and pretty much everything else about the SFPark.org website) uses a cute Sim-City aesthetic to explain an otherwise wonky parking policy. It's an interesting approach to take with complicated material, but I think the video does a great job of demonstrating how the system should work, and it does so in just under three minutes.

After covering this beat for over a year and a half, I also learned a few things. For instance, most people don't realize the cost of parking could come down if demand is anemic in a particular area, but I didn't realize the price could theoretically go as low as $.25/hour if the demand requires it. If the good parking managers at the SFMTA are looking to blunt possible public criticism, I think they will do well to highlight the fact that rates can decline.

Parking guru Donald Shoup already picked up on the sim and tweeted it to his followers, calling it a "great new video."

Will something as cute as this do anything to ameliorate the visceral rage parking meters inspire in many drivers? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Monday’s Headlines: Violation Calculation Edition

Let's talk a little about NYPD enforcement of moving violations, plus other news (yet, understandably, not a word about our Mets).

October 7, 2024

Talking Headways Podcast: Transit Themed Rock Music

Meet a band that writes exclusively about the car-free life on public transit. And it rocks!

October 7, 2024

The Insider: How to Blow the Whistle on a Federal Transportation Agency

Quon Kwan's research could have lead to regulations that says saved hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists in large truck crashes. Instead, the analysis was quashed.

October 7, 2024

SPECIAL REPORT: Fake Chaplains, Faithless Scam

"Park like an animal, but kosher," reads a recent ad for chaplaincy training and placards for "graduates." But it's all fake.

X-Citement: Union Boss and Streetsblog Columnist Fight Congestion Pricing War in Public

Get some popcorn and watch Charles Komanoff and union boss John Samuelsen battle on Twitter.

October 4, 2024
See all posts