Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Find SF parking cops

walzr.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

331–340 of 498 posts

Re: Find SF parking cops

#331

Post by scottbez1 »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #178
scottbez1 wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, they ignore SF311 reports by policy. I've managed it by flagging down an amazingly helpful parking control officer that happened to be in the area, or else by calling and reporting an obstruction of traffic (not mentioning the bike lane) and then waiting until the PCO arrived and talking to them. The officers have almost always been helpful, but I think they generally tend towards lower confrontation and more "…

by calling and reporting an obstruction of traffic Would you be able to share the rough process, and how long it usually takes? e.g. - Do you call 311 or a different number? - How soon have you had someone arrive at the scene?

This was years ago when I was younger and had more free time. I called SFMTA traffic directly (you learn the menu tree quickly). It varied but I want to say it usually took between 20 minutes to over an hour, including multiple callbacks to check on status and ensure they knew I was serious

Re: Find SF parking cops

#332

Post by tdeck »

truted2 wrote: post #330

I know this isn't federal jurisdiction but ever since reading the executive order issued yesterday and the quite vague description of what is Antifa I wonder if this type of interference/obstruction of law will start to be prosecuted. [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/desi...

It's vague on purpose. Just like MS13 or Tren de Aragua, it can be whatever they want it to be.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#333

Post by renewiltord »

rimbo789 wrote: post #311

There should be a tracker on all cars that automatically charges them a fee when they stop on public land for longer than a traffic light. You get mailed the bill monthly. Fail to pay you lose your license.

Tolled roads? Oh yes. With surge pricing? Ah fuck yeah. Come on!

Re: Find SF parking cops

#334

Post by jcalvinowens »

RS-232 wrote: post #327
jcalvinowens wrote: post #324

I gotta say, it's incredibly inconsiderate and thoughtless to publish the real time location of a bunch of public safety officers in an individually identifiable way. I understand the sentiment, and I appreciate the hackery... but you put these people at risk today. You need to think much more carefully about how you approach things like this in the future.

I disagree. There should be no expectation of privacy for any public officer. Things like this website, body cameras, and FOIA requests are all for the public good. Expose corruption and keep everyone safer with a little accountability.

That's a false dichotomy.

There is a world difference between everything you mentioned, and publishing the real time locations of officers by their actual name (initials) on a website anybody can visit.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#335

Post by ripley12 »

ungreased0675 wrote: post #322
appreciatorBus wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just charge market rates for land. Overstaying (aka overconsumption) is mostly just a predictable consequence of selling something valuable at far below what its value.

Perhaps the overconsumption is on the businesses that have no parking infrastructure for their customers, relying on street parking instead. What if there was no street parking allowed at all? It’s probably too late to implement this idea, but interesting to think about.

That's more or less how Tokyo works. Almost no on-street parking, people have to prove that they have a parking spot when buying a car, liberal zoning so there are lots of very small pay parking lots around the city. It works really well IMO but it would be politically very difficult in North America.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#336

Post by renewiltord »

rahimnathwani wrote: post #325
renewiltord wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Admittedly, public transport is garbage. And for the time we'd go to La Petite Baleen, a car is 0.5x the time. So in that respect I agree. In Mission Bay everything else is close by. But I think perhaps if someone told me "We don't live well. I can only take my child to swim class on the weekends" I would think that somewhat strange.

Re: La Petite Baleen: 34 mins vs 1 hour 11 mins for me. My son's swim school is 20 mins away by car, or 60 mins by public transport. I take your point that these are first world problems. But my point is that not having access to a car in San Francisco is a significant inconvenience and it's incorrect to say 'you can live well' without that access. You might not be so inconvenienced that you would say "we don't live…

I wouldn't say it's "meh" that you can take your kids to swim school only on weekends.

LPB is 23 vs 39 for me but I do drive. Either way I wouldn't think it "meh".

But I suppose standards of living in the US are by default so far ahead of other places that these are considered the minimum to not be "meh" here.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#337

Post by dragonwriter »

RS-232 wrote: post #327
jcalvinowens wrote: post #324

I gotta say, it's incredibly inconsiderate and thoughtless to publish the real time location of a bunch of public safety officers in an individually identifiable way. I understand the sentiment, and I appreciate the hackery... but you put these people at risk today. You need to think much more carefully about how you approach things like this in the future.

I disagree. There should be no expectation of privacy for any public officer. Things like this website, body cameras, and FOIA requests are all for the public good. Expose corruption and keep everyone safer with a little accountability.

> There should be no expectation of privacy for any public officer.

So live public webcams in the employee restrooms in all government buildings?

I would argue that public officers would retain personal privacy, but that such privacy cannot be a shield against the public for the government concealing substantive operations, and that the identity of public officers and the substantive means by which they are engaged in the exercise of public functions, are therefore not within the space of their personal privacy.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#339

Post by crazygringo »

RS-232 wrote: post #327
jcalvinowens wrote: post #324

I gotta say, it's incredibly inconsiderate and thoughtless to publish the real time location of a bunch of public safety officers in an individually identifiable way. I understand the sentiment, and I appreciate the hackery... but you put these people at risk today. You need to think much more carefully about how you approach things like this in the future.

I disagree. There should be no expectation of privacy for any public officer. Things like this website, body cameras, and FOIA requests are all for the public good. Expose corruption and keep everyone safer with a little accountability.

Accountability in terms of what has happened in the past, yes.

But the idea that current public locations of identifiable public officers is not justifiable at all.

That would be allowing individuals to be stalked in real time. That's not OK.

Re: Find SF parking cops

#340

Post by rahimnathwani »

scottbez1 wrote: post #331
rahimnathwani wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

by calling and reporting an obstruction of traffic Would you be able to share the rough process, and how long it usually takes? e.g. - Do you call 311 or a different number? - How soon have you had someone arrive at the scene?

This was years ago when I was younger and had more free time. I called SFMTA traffic directly (you learn the menu tree quickly). It varied but I want to say it usually took between 20 minutes to over an hour, including multiple callbacks to check on status and ensure they knew I was serious

Thank you for sharing that. It clears up my confusion. I thought perhaps you had found some magic way to get them to do something without you needing to disrupt your day.

It doesn't seem worth the time investment, as it won't have any effect beyond the particular incident you're reporting. It won't increase the threat of enforcement such that people decide not to break the law.

Post reply on HN