If you have spent any time in San Francisco during the past few years you are probably familiar with these things called “parklets,” stylized public seating areas built out from curbs around the city that replace two car parking spaces each. Their increasing proliferation is a clear sign that SF is becoming actively more pedestrian-friendly and simultaneously more automobile-hostile. Unintentionally there has been a benefit for those of us on two wheels. The buffer zone on either side of the parklets (complete with rubber bumper to stop cars from backing into the structures) is a perfect fit for most motorcycles and scooters. And the kicker: it’s a non-space; un-marked in any way and apparently without a clear definition in city parking codes. In effect, it is a free parking spot for bikes. Personally, I like to think of this as a reward for not being a part of traffic congestion.
Now, I realize this lack of regulation isn’t likely to last forever as the CHP’s recently published lane-splitting guidelines seem to confirm. Sooner or later the powers that be will wise up and paint that portion of the curb red. But for now I am going to enjoy the hell out of this apparent oversight and hope it takes quite a while for the city to do something about us hooligans who skirt the rules and fly under the radar.
In fact some selfish part of me is going “Shut up, idiot. Don’t broadcast this information. Every Vespa-driving hipster in the city is going to start utilizing these fantastic no-man’s-lands which will create a stir and then your free parking party will be over.” But I can’t help it. I want to make others aware of this good fortune. I want people driving cars to be annoyed enough that they will go out and get their M1s and reduce the ridiculous traffic clusterfuck which will of course lower the road rage quotient which will leave fewer unhappy drivers which will make our city an even cooler place to be …which would likely increase the population and there we go ’round again. But let’s forget about that last bit.
The real point of this story was to tell you about my funny interaction with a DPT agent yesterday. I was looking for parking outside of my gym on Polk. Across the street one of the parklet buffer zones was already taken by my fellow trainer pal’s Ducati Monster. In front of the other a DPT Intercepter vehicle was double-parked with a burly female agent inside talking on her phone. I thought about this for about three seconds and then decided ‘what the heck.’ So I pulled up alongside of her and gently knocked on her window. She slid it open and I asked her politely if she wouldn’t mind pulling her cart forward a few feet. She looked at me and asked knowingly “you want to use the free spot, huh?” I said yes. And then -certainly already knowing the answer- she asked “Why don’t you use the pay spots over there?” (There are five designated motorcycle spaces literally right next to the parklet.) Without a second thought I replied “because this one is free.” We both chuckled and she pulled forward so I could park. Needless to say it felt like the greatest coup ever!
As I went inside I wondered if she was going to nail me with a ticket and flee. A few hours later when I returned to my bike I was delighted to find it ticket-free.
