San Francisco's world-famous crooked street will be temporarily off limits to cars starting this weekend.
Lombard Street, between Larkin and Leavenworth streets, will be closed Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m until July 13. It will also be closed on the Fourth of July.
The closure is part of a pilot program put in place after Lombard homeowners complained about traffic in the area.
- Photos: San Francisco's Lombard Street
After the experimental closures, officials will decide if the tourist attraction should be shut down on a more regular basis.
The SFMTA board, at the request of Supervisor Mark Farrell, voted last month to approve the temporary weekend shutdowns.
Some neighborhood residents would like to see the road closed for more than just a few weekends a year. A neighborhood spokesman said their goal is for the road to be closed most of the summer and half of all weekends.
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Some residents said in recent years it had gained an amusement park atmosphere, with people blocking their driveways and snapping photos as they drove the street.
One resident, who wished not to reveal her name, said all the pedestrians clogging the street Saturday was more than she bargained for.
"I think I'm more concerned right now about the pedestrians," she said. "First of all, I'm angry, but secondly, people have a split second or they think about moving or not moving."
Local traffic, taxi cabs and pedestrians will still be allowed.
The issue has been formally debated since 2000, according to an SFMTA report. Other possible solutions that have also been proposed include gating the street, creating a pedestrian mall, privatizing the street, prohibiting right turns on Hyde Street, and closing Lombard between Van Ness and Polk Streets during peak traffic periods.
Summer 2014 Lombard Street shutdown dates:
- Saturday and Sundays in June: 21, 22, 28, 29
- Friday 4th of July
- Saturday and Sundays in July: 5, 6, 12, 13
