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SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

blog.sfgate.com

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Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#51

Post by spinlock »

mathetic wrote: post #18
whence wrote: post #7

Here's a better idea: charge market rate for parking on the street, citywide. There's no reason that space should be given away for free. Use the revenue to build some much needed trains.

Roads are public goods and more importantly they are built with tax money. They are also specifically built for cars to use and without a place to stop they are a bit meaningless in a city. They might just change this and start charging but that's a pretty stupid idea. Free market is not an answer to everything.

> They are also specifically built for cars

Not to be too pedantic but ... the roads in SF were built long before the car was invented. Think about it, if SF were built _for_ cars, why would it be at the end of a peninsula so cars have to cross bridges to get to it? SF was built so that it was easy to access by sea from ships. Cars came much, much later and the issues with parking, etc... really stem from the city not being in a very good location vis a vis cars. I agree that roads are a public good but I think they should be used to provide the greatest economic benefit which, in my opinion, is not to get commuters into the city.

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#52

Post by sukuriant »

smackfu wrote: post #14
whence wrote: post #7

Here's a better idea: charge market rate for parking on the street, citywide. There's no reason that space should be given away for free. Use the revenue to build some much needed trains.

I parked at a spot in the Mission where the meter rate on the weekend was $6 an hour.

That ... doesn't seem that expensive to me, coming from someone that lives in Seattle. Then again, I tend to get the day rates, or the late-night rates, which, if memory serves me, are like $15 for the night, while only staying an hour or two for dinner.

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#53

Post by anigbrowl »

dublinben wrote: post #50
anigbrowl wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those services are not inherently illegal in other jurisdictions* for one thing, and where specific activities have been deemed illegal the operators either abide by the judgment of the courts or exit the market. Case in point: Google allowing EU citizens to apply for delisting of privacy-infringing search results in accordance with EU data protection laws. * I'm not sure about places like North Korea, but trying to…

Google is a huge multinational company with sufficient nexus in the EU (specifically France) to fall under the jurisdiction of that ruling. This sounds like an app developed by a small team, physically and legally located far outside of San Francisco. If the city tried to enforce a judgment against them, it should be laughed out of court. I'm not sure why so many here are so quick to throw the hackers under the bus a…

If you're doing business somewhere, as ParkingMonkey is in SF, then there's sufficient nexus for them to come under the jurisdiction of that place.

So what if it's a small team offering this service remotely? What stops them deploying this in their home town of Rome? And what makes you so sure that claims against them would be laughed out of court? True, any judgment against them would take a long time to enforce, hence the city exploring the more practical route of asking Apple to cease enabling their activity. But cross-border litigation happens all the time.

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#54

Post by dsl »

r00fus wrote: post #49
dsl wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is bigger than a market inefficiency. San Francisco has been pushing a hard line anti-car agenda, while making no noticeable improvements to transit. MUNI is a disaster being held hostage by unions. Bending to environmentalists to not address legitimate need for parking. Inefficient responses to groups like Critical Mass that breed resentment against bikes. Refusal to address the vagrant problems resultin…

While it's easy to demonize "environmentalists", it's pretty clear in the SF Bay Area that environmentalists and property owners are in collusion (or property owners are using the environmentalist label to limit supply). Ultimately, the best way to root-cause a policy issue is to follow the money. Someone is making money from a lack of governance.

It is not so much money as it is power. San Francisco has a reverse-Tea Party problem.

When all viable candidates for a position are already left of center, the only way to shine is to seem more-progressive and out liberal the other guy.

As evidenced by the problems on the right currently - the biggest danger is that as we keep creeping to the extreme left, the "far out nutjobs" are only a tiny step away and seem almost reasonable by comparison.

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#55

Post by pessimizer »

dsl wrote: post #54
r00fus wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it's easy to demonize "environmentalists", it's pretty clear in the SF Bay Area that environmentalists and property owners are in collusion (or property owners are using the environmentalist label to limit supply). Ultimately, the best way to root-cause a policy issue is to follow the money. Someone is making money from a lack of governance.

It is not so much money as it is power. San Francisco has a reverse-Tea Party problem. When all viable candidates for a position are already left of center, the only way to shine is to seem more-progressive and out liberal the other guy. As evidenced by the problems on the right currently - the biggest danger is that as we keep creeping to the extreme left, the "far out nutjobs" are only a tiny step away and seem alm…

The 'left' has vary little presence in current US government (including in San Francisco) on any level. 'Far-left nutjobs' in the modern context refers to anyone to the left of Nixon.

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#56

Post by thrownaway2424 »

dsl wrote: post #28
whence wrote: post #7

Here's a better idea: charge market rate for parking on the street, citywide. There's no reason that space should be given away for free. Use the revenue to build some much needed trains.

The problem is bigger than a market inefficiency. San Francisco has been pushing a hard line anti-car agenda, while making no noticeable improvements to transit. MUNI is a disaster being held hostage by unions. Bending to environmentalists to not address legitimate need for parking. Inefficient responses to groups like Critical Mass that breed resentment against bikes. Refusal to address the vagrant problems resultin…

This is a quite liberal interpretation of facts in evidence.

"a hard line anti-car agenda"

Seriously? The city has almost half a million parking spaces, nearly all of which are free of charge. There are no congestion charges.

"Inefficient responses to groups like Critical Mass that breed resentment against bikes"

As opposed to the Critical Mass that the car drivers stage every single day at 4:30pm? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAO20jJHNuI

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#57

Post by dllthomas »

jeffdavis wrote: post #42
mathetic wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Roads are public goods and more importantly they are built with tax money. They are also specifically built for cars to use and without a place to stop they are a bit meaningless in a city. They might just change this and start charging but that's a pretty stupid idea. Free market is not an answer to everything.

"Free market is not an answer to everything." The problem here is one of rationing. There are a limited number of spots; who gets them? In the current situation, the spaces are free/subsidized, but you pay instead by driving in circles. That's a big waste of time and adds to traffic congestion. Maybe that's more "fair" in some sense, but that doesn't make it good. The app in question does either nothing or very littl…

'Maybe that's more "fair" in some sense, but that doesn't make it good.'

I'm not even sure it's more "fair" - as you said, you're still paying. I suppose a part of the cost (time wasted) is sort of indexed by income...

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#58

Post by avacadovich »

pessimizer wrote: post #11

At least one of these companies is a pure protection racket. "ParkModo was recently offering $13 an hour to drivers who would occupy parking spaces in the Mission District during peak weekend times and then sell the spot through its app, a Craigslist job posting showed. "'Get paid $13.00 per hour just to park!' the ad read. 'Our company is launching an awesome app that rewards people to sell their on-street parking s…

Chill people, the city is already doing this by adjusting meter rates with demand to assure that there is will always be a few street parking spaces available for those who are willing to pay for them. Living and parking in SF is not a god given right. EZ John

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#59

Post by hamzaouazzanic »

whence wrote: post #7

Here's a better idea: charge market rate for parking on the street, citywide. There's no reason that space should be given away for free. Use the revenue to build some much needed trains.

I am cofounder of Sweetch, this is exactly our vision. That's why we give you the possibility to donate your money to charities who have a local impact in SF

Re: SF cracks down on ‘Monkey Parking’ mobile app

#60

Post by naturalethic »

pessimizer wrote: post #11

At least one of these companies is a pure protection racket. "ParkModo was recently offering $13 an hour to drivers who would occupy parking spaces in the Mission District during peak weekend times and then sell the spot through its app, a Craigslist job posting showed. "'Get paid $13.00 per hour just to park!' the ad read. 'Our company is launching an awesome app that rewards people to sell their on-street parking s…

Do you even know what a protection racket is? Only one party to this affair goes around threatening people unless they pay up and its not Monkey Parking. edit nor ParkModo
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