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San Francisco is a complex network of narrow one way streets. Driving in the heavy traffic areas of San Francisco is tough, even for a local, which is why I rarely use anything but public transportation to get into the City.
Not only do you have to watch out for pedestrians who cross against the light, cars pulling out of blind garages, other drivers talking on their cell phones, and double parked cars, you have to concentrate on which way the streets go, are they one way or two?
It's enough to drive you to drink (but don't drink and drive)... Leave a Comment
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San Franciscans have a reputation for being really lousy drivers. Having lived here virtually my whole life, I can say that it is a very well-deserved reputation. It's not like in Boston with aggressive drivers. Quite the contrary - if you're driving aggressively, then at least you're paying attention!
No, San Francisco drivers are just clueless. And the advent of the cell phone has not helped matters. 9 out of 10 times you see someone doing something really stupid in a car, they are on a cell phone! And if you are one of those people who drive yapping on your phone, don't assume that I'm talking about the other guy! Chances are you've been in several close calls and were too busy gabbing away to notice! Shut up and drive!
In San Francisco, a yellow light means drive like hell, because the light's about to turn red! Red light running is a way of life here, unfortunately, and you should exercise caution both driving and walking - especially in the Castro District, where drivers are notoriously stupid (even by SF standards).
Things have definitely become more uncivil on the roads in the past decade. The primary cause is that many freeways were torn down because of earthquake damage, and, thanks to SF's liberal squabbling and Willie Brown's cronyism, it is now 15 freakin' years later and all that traffic is still choking city streets! The Octavia Street off-ramp and boulevard project has relieved some of the pressure, but if you drive in the northeast quadrant of the city, you should expect heavy traffic. Leave a Comment
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San Francisco is famous for its hilly streets and while they add to the overall scenic atmosphere of the city, they also are a challenge for those trying to tackle the sights on foot. We did quite a bit of training on the treadmill at the gym before we went and it was still tough. I didn’t drive on this particular trip but did ten years ago and you have to learn to take the down hills slow or you’ll bottom out. Take your time whether behind the wheel or on foot. Leave a Comment
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San Francisco has a few hills. This makes driving with stick shifts a little more fun. Also, it creates some real problems for big trucks. The photo shows a 31.6 percent grade beyond the intersection.
You park perpendicular to the curb on the hills and do a little mountain climbing out to crawl out of your car, always weary of the potential of the car door to slam shut, by a combination of gravity and wind, to deliver a substantial blow to an exposed limb.
Many big rigs have gotten stuck at the spot in the photo. They have three choices.
1: Move forward over the cliff and get stuck on the grade break (with front wheels on the slope, rear wheels on the relatively flat intersection, and undercarriage resting firm on the pavement).
2: Try backing blindly up the 21.6 percent slope that led them into this mess. Many loaded trucks can not so this.
3: Make a right turn onto the narrow sidestreet. It is 30 feet wide with valued parking on both sides. This maneuver will usually sacrifice a couple of parked cars.
If you are coming to town with a good size truck, don't be fooled by a rectangular street grid. Some of these streets are steep.
If you have a car, curb your wheels. Not only will this prevent runaways (I've seen some), but will also prevent a parking ticket for failing to do so.
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First of all: in the USA, it is legal for drivers to make a right turn even when there is a red light.
In Boxing, Philadelphia was made famous with Joe Frazier and the "Philadelphia Left Hook" punch.
Well in San Francisco, the impatient, young professional population is known for having the San Francisco "right hook." What I mean is that San Franciscans are constantly driving in a hurry looking for a parking spot and often make right turns very quickly.
While walking here on Judah and 9th Street, I nearly got "hit' by a San Francisco driver turning impatiently right having nearly not noticed me.
Be careful especially on intersections where there will be cars making right turns. Another area where I nearly got hit by a car was on Pine and Sansome Street. This is an especially dangerous intersection because Pine is one way and Sansome is one way. One way streets that have right turns going onto other one way streets are where people run the greatest risk of getting hit by a car.
San Francisco drivers are also bad because, well, they aren't San Franciscans. Those of you who are tourists, if you need to read a map, please pull over in the name of safety.
As pedrestrians, look at drivers who appear to be on the cell phones while driving, younger drivers distracted by friends, young professionals in a hurry, and tourist drivers driving while reading maps. You'll notice a lot of drivers doing other things than driving. Be careful about them. I once saw a woman driving while putting on her make up!!!!
It's a zoo in the roads of San Francisco. Always be careful when crossing streets.
I almost forgot, another risky area are down hill streets where a car can turn right. Leave a Comment
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Beware of street cleaning and parking time limit signs. Don't think it is your lucky day when you see a block with abundant parking in an overcrowded neighborhood. Watch for those signs. They are not often visible from your line of sight. They could be stuck in an overgrown tree, down at the bottom (or top) of a steep hills, or nearly completely faded. The City aggressively enforces the street cleaning tickets.
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If you like traffic jams, cross the Golden Gate Bridge from north to south in the morning rush hour or in the afternoon northbound to Sausalito. It might take a long time to cross the bridge. On the other hand it is always fascinating to be on that wonderful construction. It's amazing. But instead of standing in the traffic jam it's much more fun to stop on the parking lot at the north end of the bridge and to walk across it. Leave a Comment
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San Francisco is a city of steep hills. Sometimes you wonder why parked cars (on grades even more vertical than the one in the photo) don't flip downhill, one after the other, like dominoes.
When parallel parking on a hill, remember to set your hand brake tightly and curb your wheels, i.e. when facing downhill, turn the wheels sharply TOWARDS the curb, and when facing uphill, turn the wheels AWAY FROM the curb. If you have trouble remembering which direction is correct, think "Whenever possible, hit a pedestrian." That is, turn the wheels so that if the car were to roll, it would move away from the street. Leave a Comment
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Parking in S.F. can be problematic. In the more congested areas the little available parking may be expensive. In downtown, it is usually best to take MUNI or BART and not worry about where to put your car.
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It is very easy to get a parking ticket in San Francisco.
San Francisco is a very condensed city and parking is hard to come by most times. Be careful where you park. Check to see what the time restraints are and always pay the meters. It is very easy to rack up a LOT of parking tickets. And at $40+ a piece, it is not worth it. Leave a Comment
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- Cathedral Hill Hotel
1101 Van Ness Avenue Corner of Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, California - Hotel Vitale-Embarcadero
8 Mission Street, San Francisco, California - Mission Inn
5630 Mission Street, San Francisco, California - Harbor Court Hotel - A Kimpton Hotel
165 Steuart Street, San Francisco, California - Allison Hotel
123 Kijima-kogen, San Francisco, California - Le Meridien San Francisco
333 Battery Street (Formerly Park Hyatt San Francisco), San Francisco, California - Best Western Civic Center Motor Inn
364 Ninth Street at Harrison, San Francisco, California - Verona
317 Leavenworth Street, San Francisco, California - Comfort Inn Hayward
24997 Mission Boulevard Formerly Comfort Inn Cal State East Bay, San Francisco, California - Great Highway Inn
1234 Great Highway, San Francisco, California - Argent Hotel
50 Third Street, San Francisco, California - Marina Inn San Francisco
3110 Octavia Street, San Francisco, California - Britton Hotel
112 Seventh Street (formerly Hotel Britton), San Francisco, California - Holiday Inn SAN FRANCISCO-INTL ARPT NORTH
275 South Airport Blvd, San Francisco, California - Alisa Hotel
447 Bush St., San Francisco, California
Destinations near San Francisco- Alcatraz Island, 5.74 km / 3.57 miles
- Daly City, 8.55 km / 5.31 miles
- Angel Island State Park, 9.96 km / 6.19 miles
- Brisbane, 10.61 km / 6.59 miles
- Sausalito, 10.99 km / 6.83 miles
- Tiburon, 11.43 km / 7.11 miles
- Colma, 11.46 km / 7.12 miles
- Emeryville, 13.34 km / 8.29 miles
- South San Francisco, 13.41 km / 8.33 miles
- Oakland, 13.45 km / 8.36 miles
» See all locations nearby» Popular California locations» Popular United States of America locations
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