Another day, another parking incident in San Francisco — a city where finding a spot is a competitive sport, the meters are ruthless, and the SFMTA is always watching (except, apparently, when actual chaos unfolds).

As one local put it with perfect understatement: "Can't park there, mate."

No. No, you cannot.

Here's the thing: San Francisco's parking dysfunction isn't just an inconvenience — it's a policy failure. The city has spent years squeezing drivers with reduced parking, expanded bike lanes, and meter rates that would make a loan shark blush, all while offering no meaningful alternatives for the thousands of residents and workers who still need to drive. When you make legal parking nearly impossible and expensive, you shouldn't be shocked when people start making creative — and illegal — choices.

We're not excusing bad parking. Rules exist for a reason, particularly when blocked lanes, fire hydrants, and pedestrian safety are involved. But City Hall loves to treat drivers like ATMs while simultaneously reducing the infrastructure those drivers depend on. You can't have it both ways.

The broader issue is one we keep coming back to at The Dissent: when government creates problems through overregulation and underinvestment, regular people pay the price. Whether it's a towed car, a $150 ticket, or a viral parking fail, the root cause is a city that prioritizes ideology over practicality.

Maybe instead of another protected bike lane on a street nobody bikes on, we could get some functional parking policy. Just a thought.