Parking Rage Boiling Over In San Francisco

"Burdened with one of the densest downtowns in the country and a Californian love for moving vehicles, San Franciscans have been shocked in recent months by crimes related to finding places to park, including an attack in September in which a young man was killed trying to defend a spot he had found.

More recently, the victims have been parking control officers -- do not call them meter maids -- who suffered four attacks in late November, and two officers went to a hospital.

All of which has left officials in this otherwise civilized community scrambling to explain, and solve, 'parking rage.'"

"Many local planners say the lack of parking is in part an unfortunate byproduct of the city's popularity."

"That said, Professor [Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles] noted that San Francisco had some questionable parking policies, namely cheap on-street parking and expensive garages and lots, a dynamic that encourages drivers to look endlessly for meters rather than pay for the privilege of parking off the street."