Car-Free Streets
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Auto-Clogged Powell Street Could Be a Car-Free Haven
It's a wonder that anyone drives a car on Powell Street in Union Square. Yet along the busiest pedestrian thoroughfare this side of the United States, you'll typically see the perplexing scene of drivers, sitting in a line heading down the hill, all seemingly going nowhere in particular and certainly not very quickly. These private autos block bustling crosswalks, jam up Muni's world-famous cable cars and its busiest bus line, and make an overall shameful display out of what many see as San Francisco's gateway.
September 19, 2014
Eyes on the Street: New Car-Free Fourth Street Extension at UCSF Campus
The extension of Fourth Street with a car-free promenade appears mostly complete at the University of California, San Francisco campus in Mission Bay. In 2012 we reported on how this project can connect 16th Street to Mariposa Street and the Dogpatch neighborhood without inviting more car traffic as UCSF builds out its development.
September 17, 2014
Dance Performance Celebrates Temporarily Car-Free Lombard Street
Last week, cars once again took over SF's crooked block of Lombard Street, following the last of a series of weekend trials that banned most cars from the street and opened it up to people instead. The Bay Area Flash Mob celebrated the last car-free day with a choreographed dance all the way down the winding road, set to the tune of Pharrell's song "Happy."
July 21, 2014
Car-Free Lombard Street, Filled With People, is KPIX’s Vision of “Chaos”
Last weekend, San Francisco's world-famous crooked block of Lombard Street saw most of its car traffic disappear as part of a month-long trial, opening the street up for people. The SFMTA's goal is to eliminate the gridlock caused by tourist drivers who queue up for blocks to cruise down the street.
June 23, 2014
“Closing” Lombard Street: The Language of Taking Cars For Granted
A peculiar thing tends to happen when we talk about streets and transportation: We don't talk about cars. Seriously -- listen to conversations, read news headlines, and you'll start to notice that even when cars are the main subject, people will, consciously or unconsciously, fail to explicitly mention them.
May 23, 2014
SFMTA Considers Restricting Cars on Crooked Lombard Street
The "crookedest street in the world" block of Lombard Street is a world-famous tourist attraction, but the resulting car traffic causes congestion and safety problems and may lead the SFMTA to ban tourists from driving that stretch.
May 19, 2014
SFMTA to Ban Cars on Kezar, Stanyan, Haight Street for 4/20 This Sunday
The SFMTA announced that cars will be banned on several major streets for the 4/20 gathering on the east end of Golden Gate Park this Sunday.
April 18, 2014
Market Street: Transit Paint Upgrades Coming, but Car Bans Still Missing
Despite calls for more measures to get cars off of Market Street, and the benefits brought by the forced turns already put in place, the SFMTA still has yet to propose any new restrictions on private autos.
February 6, 2014
We Used to Expect Streets to Be as Safe as We Do Holly Park
Rarely does the death of someone struck by a motorist garner as much public outrage as the incident in Holly Park last week. Media around the world has covered the death of Christine Svanemyr, who was lying in the grass with her infant daughter and dog when she was run over by Thomas Burnoski, a Recreation and Parks Department employee.
September 12, 2013
Eyes on the Street: Lounging on a Reclaimed Valencia Street
Swinging through SF for a few days, Streetfilms producer Clarence spotted a nice setup at yesterday's Sunday Streets in the Mission. Harrington's, an antique furniture store, used some of its sofa inventory to create a comfortable little music venue on Valencia Street.
July 29, 2013