The state Assembly on Thursday voted to approve a pilot toll and reservation program for the famously crooked section of San Francisco’s Lombard Street in a bid to reduce crowds and ease traffic on the world-renowned thoroughfare.
The 600-foot-long stretch of Lombard attracts more than 2 million visitors a year, creating lines of cars that stretch for blocks and clog the Russian Hill neighborhood, said Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, who sponsored the bill, AB 1605.
The new toll system is not expected to be in place before 2020, officials said, and it’s not clear how much the fee would be. San Francisco transportation officials have proposed requiring visitors to make a reservation online and pay $5 for each vehicle — another plan calls for online reservations and a $10 charge on weekends and holidays.
“It has become increasingly difficult to manage the crowds and traffic congestion at the crooked street,” Ting said in a statement. “Neither the presence of parking enforcement officers, nor the closure of the crooked segment has changed the current situation. AB 1605 offers a solution worth trying to improve public safety and the quality of life for residents.”
The Assembly vote 51-18 to pass the bill, which the state Senate will consider next. The legislation was necessary because existing law prohibits a local agency from imposing a tax, permit fee or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highways, Ting said.
Residents say Lombard Street, with its unique hairpin turns, feels more like an overcrowded amusement park than a neighborhood street. For years, they’ve urged officials to deal with the traffic jams, trash and trespassing by visitors.
“The cars really impact the neighborhood because they line up, they back up, they are sitting idling,” said Greg Brundage, president of the Lombard Hill Improvement Association.
