sf motorcycle parking

The other night I got a parking ticket (VC225000 (f)) for parking my motorcycle on the sidewalk in front of my friends' house. When I was in motorcycle class before getting my license I was told that it was "legal in San Francisco to park a motorcycle on the sidewalk as long as two people can walk abreast beside it" so I was ready to protest this citation, however while looking for the section of the vehicle code that outlines this allowance for motorcycles, I discovered this site: San Francisco Motorcycle and Scooter Coalition which states:

ANYTHING other than a bicycle or moped on a sidewalk will get you a citation.

Apparently this section of the code has only been rarely and selectively enforced in San Francisco, leading many (including my CHP-licensed motorcyle instructor) to believe that it was legalized. The coalition linked above has a campaign to have this unobstructive parking officially legalized. For now I 'm just going to have to pay the fine, then sign their petition. At least i found some good news I didn't know about: motorcycles are allowed to make U-Turns where cars can't at least at one intersection. I'd go drive out there and do a U-Turn right now, 'cept it's raining.

Comments

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What bullshit. I would -definitely- send a protest letter. The city of SF is terrible about a lot of things, but they -are- very reasonable about refunding unreasonable tickets.

If they commonly tell people that's legal in motorcycle class, and you tell them that, I think they'll give you a refund.

(And make sure to specify sort of a breast the two people walked beside your motorcycle. That could make a difference.)

[Jerry]

Hey I got a ticket on may 6 at 3:00 pm for parking on the sidewalk. I was told by a metermaid(the day before) that it was okay to park between the curb and the meter(there is about 8-10 inches). He said that it was not considered the sidewalk but a got a ticket anyway. Does anybody know if this little part of the sidewalk(between the meter and the curb) is part of the sidewalk?

Jerry

[Becky]

My hubby just got a ticket for parking on the sidewalk in front of our own house!! People are always able to walk right past it. He parks it near the lawn to give room for walking, skating, etc. Anyway, he was told the same thing here in San Diego about parking on sidewalks as long as people can easily walk past. He is going to contest this ticket and he's pretty sure that he'll get it dropped. Every motorcyclist who attends the motorcycle safety class in Cali is told this is legal, from what I understand. I hope you get your refund. You deserve it. This is totally wrong.

[jon]

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