Editorials

SAN FRANCISCO — Business owners say a proposed ban to keep truck deliveries out of the city’s financial district could wreak havoc on their bottom lines by preventing them from receiving necessary supplies. 

“We get many deliveries on a daily basis, that’s why we’re the No. 1 restaurant city in the world,” said Kathleen Harrington, president of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and co-owner of Harrington’s Bar and Grill. 

The proposed ban, introduced Friday, is meant to stop trucks from double parking on streets, an ongoing problem that clogs traffic and delays Muni buses. It’s the next step after double fines of $100 issued along Muni routes have failed to ease the problem, said Fred Hamdum, Department of Parking and Traffic director. Last year 28,704 drivers were cited for double parking, compared to 14,503 in 1996. The double fines are part of the mayor’s “Unclog the Streets” program that started in 1998. 

The proposed ban calls for trucks 25 feet or longer to stay out of the financial district from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those caught within the prohibited areas would receive moving violations. 

“The attempt here is not to shut businesses down,” Hamdum said. “Traffic downtown has reached critical levels.” 

But some say the new proposal would make already restricted delivery times even tighter. 

Igor Rodionoff, assistant sales manager for Anchor Distributing Co., says alcohol can now only be delivered from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

“That gives us a three-hour window before 7 a.m. and a one-hour window after 7 p.m.,” he said. “If we can’t deliver until 4 a.m., we’re already behind the ball right there.” 

Rodionoff said his only solution would be to use smaller trucks for his deliveries, which would add even more traffic to the area’s streets. 

But the mayor’s office says the traffic problem has gotten out of control and must be resolved somehow. 

“The mayor’s top priority when it comes to transportation is the efficiency of the Municipal Railway,” said P.J. Johnston, the mayor’s spokesman. 

Bob Ramorino, president of Hayward-based Bob Rich Shroeder Trucking, said the proposed ban would create a delivery nightmare because companies would have a hard time finding drivers to work early-morning or late-evening shifts. 

But Hamdum points out there’s time to work out a compromise between the city, businesses and trucking companies. 

The public has until Feb. 16 to submit written comments about the proposal. A community meeting also is scheduled for March. Even then, Hamdum said, it could take up to nine months to implement the proposal.