19th Avenue — Blog

Gravy train over

San Francisco State University borders with 19th Avenue. As it has been for many decades, commuting students and staff would street park on both sides of 19th all day for free.

Fall 2026 semester started this week. On my usual walk to campus on 19th Avenue, I thought it was weird that there weren’t any cars parked to the sides. Typically at the beginning of the school year, the entire block would be filled with cars. Because who the heck wants to pay the $8 per day at the school parking lot?

So the complete lack of cars was baffling. Until I saw the newly installed street signage. What was once no limits - except for weekly street cleaning day, now has a four hour time limit on weekdays. This is absolutely diabolical, especially at a time when SF State enrollment continues on a downward trajectory. You’re making parking around campus more difficult too? Come on, man. What are we doing?

I get it; SFMTA - the parking overlords of San Francisco - is an agency in dire need of cash. A solid way to drum up funding is to further restrict street parking and give the meter maids something to do.

It must be said that SFMTA is also the city’s public transit agency, so I think it’s a fair trade to “punish” the private car owners in order to fund the really good public transportation we have around here. It’s not about fairness, it’s about civic duty. Having been in other American cities where public transport is poor at best, we San Franciscans should not take for granted there’s a bus line that can go to every part and corner of the city.

SF State attendees will now simply have to park one street further away than past yearsl: Junipero Sera.

Traffic on traffic

Our local thoroughfare - 19th Avenue - is getting some much needed surface repair work. In order to do this, the authorities must interrupt traffic for a solid year. The locals aren’t happy because an already congested road will only get even more so. But what’s the alternative? If the road never gets repaved, then drivers are going to be gripe about the horrendous condition.

Is it ideal? Of course not, but the job has to be done. Roads need repaving, the Golden Gate Bridge needs repainting. We all have to endure some civic pain in order to have nicer things.

Albeit I am writing from my high horse of never needing to commute on said road that will be severely interrupted. My tune will surely be different if I’d the misfortune of taking 19th Avenue to work. Perhaps they should have put the repaving project up to a vote! Just like how they put the fate of the Great Highway to the people.

And look how that turned out! San Francisco voters elected to permanently close the Great Highway off to motor vehicles. However, a majority of residents in the district directly adjacent to the road did not want this, because they use the Great Highway to commute. Closed road, more congestion elsewhere. It’s simply math. Sunset district residents were so incensed that they recalled their representative supervisor.

Resurfacing 19th Avenue - also in Sunset district - seems to be pouring salt onto the wounds. One thoroughfare is closed forever, and the other will be choked up for a whole year. To quote the great Xzibit: “Yo dawg, I heard you like traffic…”