Riders, disability advocates push SFMTA to remove parking from bus stops faster

Dozens of riders, disability advocates and supervisors told SFMTA officials on Oct. 17 that the agency should act immediately to remove parking from bus stops and make access safe for seniors and people with disabilities.

SFMTA transit planning manager Sean Kennedy described a three‑phase approach: update policy (short‑range transit plan and bus‑stop guidelines to require at least a 20‑foot clear zone for front‑door boarding), implement prioritized daylighting for roughly 400–500 stops that fail current guidelines (with a staged public‑hearing and shop implementation process) and then address the remaining systemwide locations in later phases. Kennedy said the agency will propose guideline changes to the MTA Board this year and follow a daylighting process modeled on the city’s livable‑streets work.

Researcher Marcel Moran (UC Berkeley) and disability advocates pressed for a more aggressive baseline: Moran’s 2020 field census found roughly a third of on‑street stops are obstructed by adjacent parking and that amenities and clear curbs are unevenly distributed across neighborhoods. “Stops that are obstructed by parking cluster,” he said, and the southern half of the city has fewer shelters and clear curbs.

Advocates and many public callers urged SFMTA to first secure legislative approvals in large batches and paint 20‑foot red curbs across the city as a quick baseline to remove parking while SFMTA pursues longer‑term bulb‑outs and box zones. Supervisor Preston asked whether SFMTA could notice grouped locations and complete painting in a year; Kennedy said grouped hearings and a Feb–Mar start are feasible but shop capacity means full system work will take longer.

Nicole Vaughn of the Mayor’s Office on Disability emphasized ADA implications: parked cars at bus stops make boarding unsafe or impossible for wheelchair users and blind riders. Multiple callers recounted needing to wait in the street to flag buses and asked that cars be towed if needed to keep stops clear.

What happens next: SFMTA will proceed with the policy update to the board and begin phased public outreach. Supervisors urged quicker grouped hearings and earlier painting of 20‑foot red curbs as a minimum accessibility baseline.