Earlier, our parking guru David LaBua, author of Finding the Sweet Spot, hinted at a parking rule so unknown that even a lifelong resident of San Francisco probably couldn't name it. Did you guess what it was? The answer can save you hundreds in parking ticket fees!

Which of these is an official rule in the SF parking code that is enforced daily:
A) All vehicles parked in SF must have a political rant of some sort on the bumper.
B) Cars may not be parked in any one space for more than seven days.
C) Each parking sign is enforced for 100 feet in each direction.
D) Each parking sign is enforceable on both sides of the street.
E) All of the above.
F) None of the above.

Answer:

C)Each parking sign is enforced for 100 feet in each direction.

The old 100-foot rule. What I believe to be the mother of all parking rules.  So, what does that mean, and why is it so damn important? 

Well, this rule is perhaps the largest reason for that confused stupor that people go into as they peel a ticket off of their windshield, look around, and with absolute exasperation say, "WTF?"

Not knowing about it fits right into our well-oiled defense mechanism of parking denial.  We find a parking spot, pull in, no meter, no red curb, we park, lock the door, and go about our business…excellent!  We don’t want anything to ruin this moment, this victory, our victory, this opalescent ray of sunshine.  We don’t want to, and at times, cannot bear to see a restriction that will rip this victory out of our clutches. We all know that feeling. And, as a result, I believe that we, as a collective psyche, have driven the 100-foot rule deep into unconscious slumber.  

How to apply the rule: When you park, take a minute to look up and down your side of the street to see if there are any signs within 100 feet.  Most people (except for my brother and I for this very reason) don’t carry tape measures in their glove compartment. 

For more lesser known parking resources on David LaBua's site, click here!

Image via aklink on Flickr.com