People avoiding Saturday's right-wing "Patriot Prayer" rally at Crissy Field or counter-protests elsewhere might still be inconvenienced by the events, as the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency says they'll be pre-emptively disrupting bus service, closing the cable car and historic streetcar lines, and even closing some roads to vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.
According to a blog post from the SFMTA, while "the two primary gathering points are Crissy Field and Civic Center Plaza," "other rallies and marches are anticipated in various parts of the city," a vague enough assertion that should catch the attention of anyone attempting to travel even for non-rally related events tomorrow.
While they say they are adding "six two-car trains to increase capacity in the subway," many other transit lines will actually see decreased service. As of noon, Muni service to Cow Hollow and the Marina will cease Saturday, they say, and SF's cable cars and historic streetcar lines will instead be served by plain old Muni buses.
"This is really based on the recommendation of safety experts," SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose tells ABC 7. "With events like this that we've seen around the country, these events can turn into a violent situation and we want to make sure we want to keep everyone safe."
In addition, CBS 5 reports, "There will be no pedestrian, bicycle or vehicle access to Crissy Field from the Golden Gate Bridge. All streets leading to the Crissy Field area will be shut down by police officers and access to the area will be limited to a single entrance from the east at the Marina gate on Marina Boulevard near the Palace of Fine Arts."
According to KRON 4, "Only tour buses will be allowed in the parking lot north of the bridge. No personal cars will be allowed from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. All of the parking lots south of the bridge will be closed."
Over by the Civic Center counter protest (which is, as the MTA said, one of many), while "there are no plans for street closures...parking will NOT be allowed on all streets around the Plaza or in the garage," the SFMTA writes, saying that if things get hairy "SFPD personnel may decide street closures around the event area are necessary."
Here's the full list of Muni disruptions:
- There will be NO Muni service in the Presidio or Marina neighborhoods starting at noon.
- There will be NO SERVICE for the 76X Marin Headlands route all day Saturday.
- The 28 19th Avenue route WILL NOT SERVE the Golden Gate Bridge Toll Plaza all day Saturday.
- The following Muni lines will operate by Muni buses: California Cable Car, Powell-Mason Cable Car, Powell-Hyde Cable Car and F Market & Wharves.
- The following Muni routes will be rerouted: 22 Fillmore, 28 19th Avenue, 30 Stockton, 43 Masonic and 45 Union/Stockton.
- The following Muni routes may also be rerouted, depending on changing conditions: E Embarcadero, F Market & Wharves, 5 Fulton, 19 Polk and 21 Hayes.
- Muni bus shuttles will be available after the Crissy Field events from Marina Boulevard to the Ferry Building.
And when will things get back to normal? The SFMTA is less clear on that, saying only that "We will continuously monitor the situation to quickly restore service once nearby areas have been cleared." Until then, travel safe, and if you're headed to the rally, leave your drones, balloons, and pet iguana at home.
Related: SFPD Chief: Guns, Tiki Torches, Pets Banned From Crissy Field 'Patriot Prayer' Rally
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