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A city of one-way streets, near-vertical hills and kamikaze bike messengers, San Francisco puts visiting drivers to the test. For the most part, public transportation is your best bet. But if you're intent on exploring the outlying neighborhoods -- or staying out into the wee hours -- here's the skinny on conquering S.F. by car.
In this town, hill-starts are more than just a challenge; they're downright dangerous, with stop signs at the tops of all the steepest hills. If you're renting a car and are unsure whether you can stop on a steep (as much as a 31.5% grade!) hill without rolling back down, you'll want to get an automatic. If you're stuck with a stick shift, try putting on the emergency brake and easing off it as you move forward. Practice makes perfect, but avoiding the steepest hills is probably safest.
The Steepest Streets in the City
1. Filbert between Leavenworth and Hyde (31.5% grade)
2. 22nd between Church and Vicksburg (31.5% grade)
3. Jones between Union and Filbert (29% grade)
4. Duboce between Buena Vista and Alpine (27.9% grade)
5. Jones between Green and Union (26% grade)
6. Webster between Vallejo and Broadway 26% grade)
7. Duboce between Alpine and Divisadero (25% grade)
8. Jones between Pine and California (24.8 grade)
9. Fillmore between Vallejo and Broadway (24% grade)
(Source: "San Francisco Almanac")
City Layout
The oddball organization of S.F. streets takes some getting used to, and there is no substitute for a good map. However, there are some basic points to remember:
Streets vs. Avenues -- the numbered STREETS are South of Market, on the east side of the city, and the numbered AVENUES are in the Richmond and Sunset districts on the west side of the city, running north to south.
Market Street cuts a large diagonal swath through downtown, and once you get on it, you may find it hard to get off. It's also tough to cross if you don't know where to do it. From the south, 3rd, 6th, and 9th streets, Van Ness Avenue and Gough cross; and from the north, Hyde, Polk, Battery, Montgomery, Ellis, Van Ness Avenue and Laguna cross.
Rush Hour
As in most crowded cities, rush hour in the Bay Area is a pain. The best advice: Avoid freeway and bridge driving at peak traffic times unless you absolutely have to. If it's unavoidable, you may want to gather some friends or neighbors and carpool. Also, check our live traffic reports.
Road Closures
An additional hassle to driving in the city is the occasional closure of streets for special events, parades, festivals and block parties. Check the SFMTA's website for updated information.
During peak traffic times, HOV lanes (marked with diamonds) are for carpools and buses only. Motorcycles and two-seaters with two people are also qualified. A carpool is defined as 2 people in some areas, and 3 people in others. Read the posted signs for the hours and occupancy requirements. On the bridges, valid carpools don't have to pay the tolls. Some bridge carpool lanes are for buses only during non-carpool hours, so be careful and read the signs -- the fine for carpool violations is a steep $341.
Casual carpooling is another way to beat the traffic. There are nonprofit organizations, which exist solely to assist commuters in setting up carpools or vanpools, and in some cases providing incentives in the form of cash or gas coupons. One such organization is the 511 Regional Rideshare Program. You can contact them by dialing 511 or visiting 511.org. The SFMTA also has useful carpool information.
Car-sharing allows long-term visitors and auto-free residents occasional vehicle use without the hassle of gas, insurance, and maintanence. Not one but three car-sharing companies operate in San Francisco and the East Bay: the non-profit City CarShare and for-profit Zipcar and Flexcar. Monthly dues and hourly rates vary from company to company, but all three offer an opportunity to save money -- and the environment. (Chronicle article)
All of the Bay Area bridges are toll bridges: $5 to go southbound on the Golden Gate Bridge (www.goldengate.org), and $4 to go westbound on the Bay Bridge (www.oaklandbridge.com), San Mateo, Dumbarton and San Rafael bridges. If you're a regular commuter, you can buy commuter books to get a volume discount. Ask at the toll plaza.
All Bay Area toll bridges also use FasTrak for electronic toll collection. To apply for an account (minimum $25) and a transponder, go to www.bayareafastrak.org.
Driving in San Francisco may be challenging, but it's nothing compared to parking. Some neighborhoods are worse than others, but none are good. Carry plenty of quarters and good karma.
Public transit and parking garages can save you some grief. The S.F. Metropolitan Transit Authority maintains a list of public garages and lots in S.F., with rates for city-owned garages.
Prevent Runaways
Always curb your wheels when parking on a hill -- or face an equally steep ticket. When facing downhill, turn your wheels to the right. When facing uphill on a street with a curb, turn your wheels to the left. When facing uphill on a street with no curb, turn your wheels to the right.
The search for a parking place is made even more complicated by the presence of variously colored curbs. These indicate when and to whom parking is admissible, so don't automatically give up if you see a space in a painted zone. It goes without saying (but we'll still say it) that it's always a bad idea to park too close to a fire hydrant, a driveway or a wheelchair ramp (within three feet), whether painted or not.
GREEN: Limited time parking - 10 minutes from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
YELLOW: Commercial loading and unloading; vehicles with commercial plates may park up to 30 minutes from 9am-6pm Monday-Saturday. Some yellow zones are restricted to trucks with commercial plates only. Violators will be towed. Usually accompanied by a sign; check for hours of enforcement.
BLUE: Parking for vehicles with special disabled person plates or placards only. Always enforced; violators will be fined $275. (Shame on you for even contemplating it!)
RED: No parking at any time. Vehicles in bus stops will be towed and subject to additional fine.
WHITE: Passenger loading zone (usually in front of churches, restaurants, hotels, etc.). Vehicles may not be left unattended for any length of time during enforcement hours; attended vehicles may stand for up to 5 minutes. Hours of enforcement may be painted on the curb or posted on a sign. If not, check to see if the business in front of the white zone appears to be in operation.
When parking downtown, be sure to check metered limits. Metered parking spaces limit parking to 30 minutes or 1 hour. These regulations are designed to encourage "turnover" so that spaces are available to the greatest number of downtown visitors. Overstaying the limit by "feeding" the meter can result in a fine, regardless of whether there is time showing on the meter or if the meter is out of order.
Downtown parking meters are not in effect on the following holidays:
New Year's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
Fisherman's Wharf parking meters are not in effect on these holidays:
New Year's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
If you are ticketed, you have a number of options:
(1) Rip up the ticket and flee the country.
(2) Pay the fee by mail, phone or online. Pay promptly (within 21 days) to avoid late penalties.
(3) Protest the citation (must be done within 21 days of receipt of initial citation).
(4) Work off a portion of the fine through a program called Project 20 (unfortunately, this option is not available for impound fees). For more information, call (415) 626-4995 or visit the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project.
If you believe your vehicle has been towed, your best bet is to check with AutoReturn, which is the city's contracted towing service.
If your car isn't in AutoReturn's possession, it may have been stolen. Call the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 553-0123.
Access Northern California (ANC) offers a free publication for anyone planning an accessible trip to San Francisco. Click here for more details.
(Updated 2/07)
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