An RV roundup

There’s nothing recreational about these vehicles. Some 1,200 bulky or barely running RVs are lining San Francisco neighborhood streets, bringing on a war between foot-dragging city officials and furious residents concerned about homelessness.

Neglect, as practiced by City Hall, won’t help this situation. For years, the problem has drifted as the numbers grew with the campers collecting on little used streets and unmetered spots. Now the vehicles are spreading into residential areas in the southeast corner of the city. Neighbors facing walls of parked RVs are angry about garbage and debris. If these trucksize fleets showed up in tonier parts of San Francisco, they’d be warned away in days, neighbors contend.

Two supervisors, Ahsha Safaí and Hillary Ronen, are caught up in the problem. They represent districts where the RVs are showing up in numbers along with the complaints from residents. The supervisors are promising hearings, the first step in building pressure on city administrators to take action.

The city is better served by collecting the vehicles in locations that can handle the needs of a struggling group. That could mean a small-fee setup that provides garbage, utility hookups and rudimentary facilities on a short-term basis. City land or borrowed lots from churches or community organizations might be used. There would be nothing fancy or expensive to dissuade campers from following a city directive to clear the curbs.

The RVs offer a stopgap solution to homelessness that can’t be overlooked. A camper is better than a tent on the sidewalk or a bed in a shelter. But the city needs a plan on accommodating the vehicles that goes beyond traffic citations and parking bans. RVs are a resource that should be managed, not ignored.