GOVERNOR'S VETO

GV Bill Id:AB 1605

Author:(Ting and Bloom)

As Enrolled Ver:September 9, 2019

2/3 vote

SUMMARY:

Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the "Crooked Street."

Major Provisions:

1. Defines various terms including "Board of Supervisors" as the Board of Supervisors (Board) of the City and County of San Francisco, and "Crooked Street" as the portion of Lombard Street located between Leavenworth Street and Hyde Street in San Francisco.
2. Authorizes the Board to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance. Requires that the Board prior to adopting the ordinance to create the program to make findings certain findings, as specified.
3. Requires the Board to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
4. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following: designate an administrator for the pilot program; prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area; specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement; specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements; and require the program administrator to submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years. Authorizes the Board to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, including but not limited to, the authority to: impose fees on vehicles for use of the Crooked Street; impose penalties for violations; and collect and use revenues generated from the program to build operate, maintain, finance, and administer the program, and ensure regular monitoring and reporting.
5. Exempts the pilot program from existing prohibitions on imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway; and from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
6. Requires the pilot to sunset after seven years after the beginning of the pilot, as defined.

The Senate Amendments:

1. Clarify that "implementation" of the pilot means the "beginning" of the pilot for the purposes of reporting, as defined. Defines "beginning of the pilot program" as the first day that a reservation may be made to use the Crooked Street under the pilot.
2. Require the pilot program administrator to evaluate possible policies to maintain access for the elderly and disabled or those with physical limitation, as pedestrians, and for those who cannot afford the fee.
3. Include a sunset for the pilot after seven years, after the beginning of the pilot.

Governor's Veto Message:

This bill would authorize the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to develop a reservation and pricing pilot program for a section of Lombard Street, creating an exemption from existing law, which prohibits local agencies from imposing new charges for the use of its streets and roads.

As the former county supervisor representing this neighborhood, I am acutely aware of the need to address congestion and safety around Lombard Street. However, the pricing program proposed in this bill creates social equity issues. Access to this iconic attraction should be available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. My Administration is committed to working with the Legislature and City and County of San Francisco on other, workable safety solutions.

COMMENTS:

The so-called "Crooked Street," a residential segment of Lombard Street is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately 2 million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study, published in February 2017, outlines a number of recommended congestion management strategies, including, a longer-term strategy to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles. Specifically, an electronic system would be developed to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street. Much like museums limit the amount of tickets available at any given time for popular exhibits, and allow those who plan ahead to reserve a time in advance, this strategy would allow for the flow and demand of automobiles entering the Crooked Street to be regulated, reducing queue lengths. The reservation system would be an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of the system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining, with prices and number of available reservations slots would be set for to meet that goal. Before accessing the Crooked Street by vehicle, visitors would go to a website, app, or kiosk to select a day and time to visit the street, registering with their license plate number. The current plan is for a staff onsite to check reservations, through paper and electronic means, and help direct vehicles, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and cost $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays.

According to the Author:

"The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the "Crooked Street" segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program."

Arguments in Support:

SFCTA, the sponsor, states, "Over the past few years, the number of visitors to the Crooked Street has grown significantly and now numbers 2 million per year. On busy days, visitors accessing the street by car can spend up to forty-five minutes waiting in a queue that backs up three or four blocks. Unlike other popular tourist attractions, the Crooked Street is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood, without any formal management system in place. In 2017, the Transportation Authority completed a study looking at conditions on the Crooked Street and recommended a reservation and pricing system to help manage the street. As we finalize our analysis of this concept, we anticipate the desire of the community to pilot a paid reservation system, which requires legislative authority from the state Vehicle Code in order to implement."

Arguments in Opposition:

None.

FISCAL COMMENTS:

Unknown, this bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Office of Legislative Counsel.

VOTES:

ASM TRANSPORTATION: 11-3-1

YES: Frazier, Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Chu, Daly, Friedman, Gipson, Grayson, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell

NO: Fong, Bigelow, Cunningham

ABS, ABST OR NV: Diep

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 51-18-11

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Bloom, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Daly, Eggman, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Levine, Low, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO: Bigelow, Brough, Cervantes, Choi, Cunningham, Dahle, Fong, Gallagher, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mathis, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Salas, Voepel, Waldron

ABS, ABST OR NV: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Boerner Horvath, Chen, Diep, Flora, Limón, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Quirk, Quirk-Silva

SENATE FLOOR: 29-11-0

YES: Allen, Archuleta, Atkins, Beall, Bradford, Caballero, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Hurtado, Jackson, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener

NO: Bates, Borgeas, Chang, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Stone, Wilk

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 54-23-2

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Berman, Bloom, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Daly, Eggman, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Levine, Limón, Low, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO: Bauer-Kahan, Bigelow, Boerner Horvath, Brough, Cervantes, Chen, Choi, Cunningham, Diep, Flora, Fong, Gallagher, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mathis, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Salas, Voepel, Waldron

ABS, ABST OR NV: Mayes, Muratsuchi

UPDATED:

VERSION: September 9, 2019

CONSULTANT: Eric Thronson/ TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0002575

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 1605

Author:(Ting and Bloom)

As Amended Ver:June 13, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the "Crooked Street."

Major Provisions

1. Defines various terms including "Board of Supervisors" as the Board of Supervisors (Board) of the City and County of San Francisco, and "Crooked Street" as the portion of Lombard Street located between Leavenworth Street and Hyde Street in San Francisco.
2. Authorizes the Board to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance. Requires that the Board prior to adopting the ordinance to create the program to make findings certain findings, as specified.
3. Requires the Board to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
4. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following: designate an administrator for the pilot program; prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area; specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement; specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements; and require the program administrator to submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years. Authorizes the Board to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, including but not limited to, the authority to: impose fees on vehicles for use of the Crooked Street; impose penalties for violations; and collect and use revenues generated from the program to build operate, maintain, finance, and administer the program, and ensure regular monitoring and reporting.
5. Exempts the pilot program from existing prohibitions on imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway; and from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
6. Requires the pilot to sunset after seven years after the beginning of the pilot, as defined.

The Senate Amendments:

1. Clarify that "implementation" of the pilot means the "beginning" of the pilot for the purposes of reporting, as defined. Defines "beginning of the pilot program" as the first day that a reservation may be made to use the Crooked Street under the pilot.
2. Require the pilot program administrator to evaluate possible policies to maintain access for the elderly and disabled or those with physical limitation, as pedestrians, and for those who cannot afford the fee.
3. Include a sunset for the pilot after seven years, after the beginning of the pilot.

COMMENTS:

The so-called "Crooked Street," a residential segment of Lombard Street is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately two million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study, published in February 2017, outlines a number of recommended congestion management strategies, including, a longer term strategy recommended is to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles. Specifically, an electronic system would be developed to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street. Much like museums limit the amount of tickets available at any given time for popular exhibits, and allow those who plan ahead to reserve a time in advance, this strategy would allow for the flow and demand of automobiles entering the Crooked Street to be regulated, reducing queue lengths. The reservation system would be an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of the system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining, with prices and number of available reservations slots would be set for to meet that goal. Before accessing the Crooked Street by vehicle, visitors would go to a website, app, or kiosk to select a day and time to visit the street, registering with their license plate number. The current plan is for a staff onsite to check reservations, through paper and electronic means, and help direct vehicles, operating from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and cost $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays.

According to the Author:

"The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the "Crooked Street" segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program."

Arguments in Support:

SFCTA, the sponsor, states, "Over the past few years, the number of visitors to the Crooked Street has grown significantly and now numbers 2 million per year. On busy days, visitors accessing the street by car can spend up to forty-five minutes waiting in a queue that backs up three or four blocks. Unlike other popular tourist attractions, the Crooked Street is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood, without any formal management system in place. In 2017, the Transportation Authority completed a study looking at conditions on the Crooked Street and recommended a reservation and pricing system to help manage the street. As we finalize our analysis of this concept, we anticipate the desire of the community to pilot a paid reservation system, which requires legislative authority from the state Vehicle Code in order to implement."

Arguments in Opposition:

None.

FISCAL COMMENTS:

Unknown, this bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel.

VOTES:

ASM TRANSPORTATION: 11-3-1

YES: Frazier, Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Chu, Daly, Friedman, Gipson, Grayson, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell

NO: Fong, Bigelow, Cunningham

ABS, ABST OR NV: Diep

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 51-18-11

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Bloom, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Daly, Eggman, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Levine, Low, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO: Bigelow, Brough, Cervantes, Choi, Cunningham, Dahle, Fong, Gallagher, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mathis, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Salas, Voepel, Waldron

ABS, ABST OR NV: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Boerner Horvath, Chen, Diep, Flora, Limón, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Quirk, Quirk-Silva

SENATE FLOOR: 29-11-0

YES: Allen, Archuleta, Atkins, Beall, Bradford, Caballero, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Hurtado, Jackson, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener

NO: Bates, Borgeas, Chang, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Stone, Wilk

UPDATED:

VERSION: June 13, 2019

CONSULTANT: Melissa White / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0001861

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 1605

Author: Ting (D) and Bloom (D)

Amended: 6/13/19 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE GOVERNANCE & FIN. COMMITTEE: 4-1, 6/12/19

AYES: McGuire, Beall, Nielsen, Wiener

NOES: Moorlach

NO VOTE RECORDED: Hertzberg, Hurtado

SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: 8-4, 7/9/19

AYES: Beall, Dodd, Galgiani, McGuire, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Wieckowski

NOES: Bates, Dahle, Morrell, Stone

NO VOTE RECORDED: Umberg

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 51-18, 5/2/19 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: City and County of San Francisco: Crooked Street Reservation and Pricing Program

SOURCE: San Francisco County Transportation Authority

DIGEST:

This bill authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the "Crooked Street."

ANALYSIS:

This bill:

1. Authorizes the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency to develop and implement a transportation program for Treasure Island, including congestion pricing fees, parking fees, and transit pass fees from residents and other visitors.
2. Authorizes numerous pricing or tolling facilities on state highways, including authorizing the California Transportation Commission to allow regional transportation agencies to develop and operate high-occupancy toll lanes.
3. Authorizes local authorities, for highways under their jurisdiction, to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding specified matters, including, among others, prohibiting entry to, or exit from, or both entry to or exit from, any street by means of certain roadway design features to implement the circulation element of a general plan.
4. Prohibits local agencies from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway, other than a permit for extra-legal loads, unless the local agency imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989.
5. Prohibits local authorities from placing gates or other selective devices on any street, which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street, while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
6. Requires that any city or county that permits, restricts, or prohibits the use of a public or private highway, the traffic control devices erected must conform to the uniform standards and specifications adopted by the California Department of Transportation.

This bill:

1. Makes findings and declarations pertaining to the 1000 block of Lombard Street in San Francisco, otherwise known as the “Crooked Street”, as specified.
2. Declares the intent of the Legislature to authorize the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to approve a reservation and pricing pilot for vehicles to use the Crooked Street to manage traffic congestion.

1. Provides various definitions relative to the provisions specified in this bill.
2. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance.
3. Requires the Board of Supervisors prior to adopting the ordinance to create the pilot program to make a variety of findings, as specified.
4. Requires the Board of Supervisors to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
5. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following:
   1. Designate a board or agency to administer the pilot program;
   2. Prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area;
   3. Specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement the program, including any allocation of the excess funds;
   4. Specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements;
   5. Require the program administrator to evaluate the feasibility of policies to maintain access for those who cannot access the Crooked Street as pedestrians; and,
   6. Require the program administrator to evaluate the performance of the pilot program and submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years of implementation.
6. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, as specified.
7. Provides that the pilot program is to sunset seven years after the beginning of the program.

Background

Crooked Street. The so-called “Crooked Street,” a residential segment of Lombard Street in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street, with its distinctive switchbacks, flowers, and vistas draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately two million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street. As overall tourism has increased in recent years, so has the number of tourists on the Crooked Street, and crowd control issues around the area have become more challenging.

Pilot program. In February of 2017, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study detailed the existing conditions of the Crooked Street and surrounding neighborhood, including extreme and increasing safety concerns related to vehicle congestion, pedestrian congestion, livability, and tourism, with these issues spilling over to surrounding blocks on both ends of the Crooked Street, including an elementary school two blocks away. One of the study’s long-term recommendations is to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles in order to manage congestion, including the vehicle queues that form at peak periods. This bill aims to establish a similar pilot program for the Crooked Street. The Crooked Street pilot program is modeled after the recent implementation of a reservation parking system at Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County. On-site parking management began at Muir Woods in December 2017, with reservations for entrance being accepted online and by phone in January 2018.

Comments

1. Purpose of the bill. According to the author, “The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the ‘Crooked Street’ segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program.”
2. Public access. While AB 1605 is a pilot about which SFCTA must evaluate and report to the Legislature, it creates a precedent for breaking with the history of providing public access to California’s roads and highways except in certain circumstances, such as private roads or when a public agency decides to close a public road to all traffic. On the one hand, the Crooked Street is a relatively unique street and the public will maintain free pedestrian access to the street. On the other hand, it is unclear how other local agencies may use this precedent to seek legislative authority to restrict access to some of their own public streets.
3. Will it work? The Crooked Street faces unique challenges because of its location in a dense urban environment. If effective, the program may help address vehicle congestion issues, but result in more pedestrian congestion, which was one of the reasons why the pilot project that closed the street to all vehicles was not completely successful. The evaluations submitted to the Legislature after one year and five years of implementation will help determine whether the strategy is effective and worth the trade-off.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No

SUPPORT: (Verified 7/10/19)

San Francisco County Transportation Authority (source)

Russian Hill Neighbors, San Francisco
San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Supervisor Catherine Stefani, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

OPPOSITION: (Verified 7/10/19)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 51-18, 5/2/19

AYES: Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Bloom, Bonta, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Daly, Eggman, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Levine, Low, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Petrie-Norris, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NOES: Bigelow, Brough, Cervantes, Choi, Cunningham, Dahle, Fong, Gallagher, Kiley, Lackey, Maienschein, Mathis, Melendez, Obernolte, Patterson, Salas, Voepel, Waldron

NO VOTE RECORDED: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Boerner Horvath, Chen, Diep, Flora, Limón, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Quirk, Quirk-Silva

Prepared by: Jonathan Peterson / GOV. & F. / (916) 651-4119

7/10/19 14:21:44

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Senator Jim Beall, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Bill No: AB 1605 Hearing Date: 7/9/2019

SUBJECT: City and County of San Francisco: Crooked Street Reservation and Pricing Program

DIGEST: This bill authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to implement a pricing and reservation pilot program for vehicles entering the 1000 block of Lombard Street, as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Authorizes the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency (TIMMA) to develop and implement a transportation program for Treasure Island, including congestion pricing fees, parking fees, and transit pass fees from residents and other visitors.
2. Authorizes numerous pricing or tolling facilities on state highways, including authorizing the California Transportation Commission to allow regional transportation agencies to develop and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
3. Authorizes local authorities, for highways under their jurisdiction, to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding specified matters, including, among others, prohibiting entry to, or exit from, or both entry to or exit from, any street by means of certain roadway design features to implement the circulation element of a general plan.
4. Prohibits local agencies from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway, other than a permit for extra-legal loads, unless the local agency imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989.
5. Prohibits local authorities from placing gates or other selective devices on any street, which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street, while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
6. Requires that any city or county that permits, restricts, or prohibits the use of a public or private highway, the traffic control devices erected must conform to the uniform standards and specifications adopted by the California Department of Transportation.

This bill:

1. Makes findings and declarations pertaining to the 1000 block of Lombard Street in San Francisco, otherwise known as the “Crooked Street”, as specified.
2. Declares the intent of the Legislature to authorize the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to approve a reservation and pricing pilot for vehicles to use the Crooked Street to manage traffic congestion.

1. Provides various definitions relative to the provisions specified in this bill.
2. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance.
3. Requires the Board of Supervisors prior to adopting the ordinance to create the pilot program to make a variety of findings, as specified.
4. Requires the Board of Supervisors to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
5. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following:
   1. Designate of a board or agency to administer the pilot program;
   2. Prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area;
   3. Specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement the program, including any allocation of the excess funds;
   4. Specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements;
   5. Require the program administrator to evaluate the feasibility of policies to maintain access for those who cannot access the Crooked Street as pedestrians; and,
   6. Require the program administrator to evaluate the performance of the pilot program and submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years of implementation.
6. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, as specified.
7. Provides that the pilot program is to sunset seven years after the beginning of the program.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s statement. According to the author, “The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the “Crooked Street” segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program.”
2. Crooked Street. The so-called “Crooked Street,” a residential segment of Lombard Street in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street, with its distinctive switchbacks, flowers, and vistas draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately 2 million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street. As overall tourism has increased in recent years, so has the number of tourists on the Crooked Street, and crowd control issues around the area have become more challenging.
3. Study. In February of 2017, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study detailed the existing conditions of the Crooked Street and surrounding neighborhood, including extreme and increasing safety concerns related to vehicle congestion, pedestrian congestion, livability, and tourism, with these issues spilling over to surrounding blocks on both ends of the Crooked Street, including an elementary school two blocks away.

One of the study’s long-term recommendations is to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles in order to manage congestion, including the vehicle queues that form at peak periods. Specifically, an electronic system would be developed to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street. The reservation system would be an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of the system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining, with prices and number of available reservations slots would be set for to meet that goal.

1. Pilot program. The Crooked Street pilot program is modeled after the recent implementation of a reservation parking system at Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County. On-site parking management began at Muir Woods in December 2017, with reservations for entrance being accepted online and by phone in January 2018. Parking reservations cost $8 per car, while shuttle reservations cost $3 per person. Over the 10-year initial duration of the program, parking prices will automatically increase by $0.50 every 2 years, while shuttle prices will increase $0.25 every 2 years. All vehicles arriving at the park are required to have a reservation, and no reservations can be made on site. There is no remaining publicly available on-street, free/unreserved parking, and those parking on the road are subject to a $99 citation. To date, the Muir Woods pricing program has been successful managing the traffic volume of park attendees.

This bill aims to establish a similar pilot program for the 1000 block of Lombard Street otherwise known as the “Crooked Street.” The provisions specified in this bill require San Francisco to first hold several public hearings and enact an ordinance with several requirements included in the ordinance. The pilot program also includes reporting requirements to the Legislature one year and five years after the commencement of the pilot program and also authorizes the pilot program to remain in effect no longer than seven years once the pilot program begins. With the demonstrated success of similar pricing/reservation programs and the accountability measures provided in this bill, it seems reasonable to provide San Francisco with the policy tools to attempt managing the traffic and public safety issues surrounding the 1000 block of Lombard Street.

1. Double Referral. This bill was double referred to the Senate Governance and Finance Committee where is passed out of that committee on a 4-1 vote.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: Fiscal Com.: Local:

Assembly Votes

Floor: 51-18

Trans: 11-3

POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday,

July 3, 2019.)

SUPPORT:

San Francisco County Transportation Authority (sponsor)

The Honorable Catherine Stefani, Supervisor

Russian Hill Neighbors, San Francisco
San Francisco Board of Supervisors

OPPOSITION:

None received.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE

Senator Mike McGuire, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

City and County of San Francisco: Crooked Street Reservation and Pricing Program

Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the "Crooked Street."

Background

Police power. The California Constitution allows a city to "make and enforce within its limits, all local, police, sanitary and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with general laws." It is from this fundamental power (commonly called the police power) that local governments derive their authority to regulate behavior to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public.

Access to public roads. While cities generally have the ability to control their own municipal affairs, state law provides some limitations when it comes to public road access. For example, local agencies can adopt rules and regulations prohibiting entry to or exit from any street if it is necessary to implement the circulation element of its General Plan. However, state law prohibits local agencies from imposing a tax or fee to use streets or highways unless that fee was in place prior to June 1, 1989. Local agencies also cannot place gates or other devices which deny access to certain members of the public, while allowing others unrestricted access. If a local agency does erect traffic control devices, it has to comply with standards and specifications set by the California Department of Transportation.

Crooked Street. San Francisco’s “Crooked Street,” a residential segment of Lombard Street, is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. Approximately 2 million people visited the landmark last year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Its location in a densely populated urban environment creates traffic and pedestrian congestion problems, which can last roughly 12 hours a day, affect other streets nearby and force people to queue up for up to 45 minutes to traverse the street.

Over the last few decades, San Francisco has considered and tested various strategies to help manage the visitors to the area, and reduce traffic and pedestrian congestion problems. In 1987, SB 733 (Kopp) allowed a city to limit vehicular access to any street to (1) residents, (2) persons having business on the street, and (3) emergency vehicles, if the local agency found the street unsafe for the unrestricted flow of traffic and the affected portion of the street had a grade averaging not less than 20 percent over a distance of not less than two blocks. Despite applying to the Crooked Street, this authority sunset in 1990 without being used.

In 2014, San Francisco temporarily closed the street to vehicles, except for residents, taxis and emergency vehicles. The City found that instead of reducing traffic, it concentrated traffic to just before and after the closure was in effect, and other visitors chose to visit by foot during the closure, increasing pedestrian crowding and pick-up/drop-off congestion.

Following up on these previous attempts, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) published a study on managing access to the Crooked Street in March 2017. The report details the current conditions of the Crooked Street and surrounding neighborhood, and outlines a number of recommended congestion management strategies including an array of enforcement, engagement, and engineering improvements, which SFCTA is currently pursuing.

In response to the concerns raised on previous attempts, the report recommended an electronic reservation and pricing system to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street and estimated its initial cost at $2 million. The report recommended an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of such a system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining. Before accessing the Crooked Street by vehicle, visitors would go to a website, app, or kiosk to select a day and time to visit the street, registering with their license plate number. Visitors planning to use a rental car could reserve their spot and return to the reservation to update the license plate information once they have arrived and rented a vehicle.

The current plan is for staff to be onsite to check reservations, through paper and electronic means, and help direct vehicles. SFCTA expects the system would operate between 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and cost $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays. Some of these features are based on the implementation of the Treasure Island Transportation Management Act (AB 981, Leno, 2008) which authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to impose varying tolls on motor vehicles exiting and entering Treasure Island to help fund a transportation management program for Treasure Island, and a 2017 reservation parking system at Muir Woods National Monument in nearby Marin County. Muir Woods implemented their reservation system in 2017 and Treasure Island does not expect to start levying the toll until 2021.

To implement this program, the City of San Francisco needs legislative authority to selectively restrict access and charge a fee on a public road.

Proposed Law

Assembly Bill 1605 authorizes the Board of Supervisors to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance. The bill exempts the pilot program from existing prohibitions on imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway; and from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.

Prior to adopting the ordinance to create the pilot program, AB 1605 requires the Board of Supervisors hold at least two public meetings and make the following findings:

• The pilot program is likely to be successful in its goal of congestion management;
• The requirement to consult with the public, as specified, has taken place; and
• The pilot program is aligned with the objectives of the countywide congestion management program and the regional transportation plan.

The bill requires the ordinance to do all of the following:

• Designate a board or agency to administer the pilot program;
• Prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area;
• Specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement the program, including any allocation of the excess funds;
• Specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements; and
• Require the program administrator to evaluate the performance of the pilot program and submit a report to the Legislature one year after and five years after implementation.

Once the ordinance passes, the Board of Supervisors has the ability to specify the powers and duties of the office it designates to administer the program, which include the ability to:

• Impose fees on vehicles for use of the Crooked Street;
• Impose penalties for violations; and
• Collect and use revenues generated from the program to build operate, maintain, finance, and administer the program, and ensure regular monitoring and reporting.

The bill includes findings and declarations to support its purposes.

State Revenue Impact

No estimate.

Comments

1. Purpose of the bill. According to the author, “The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the ‘Crooked Street’ segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program.”

2. Public access. While AB 1605 is a pilot about which SFCTA must evaluate and report to the Legislature, it creates a precedent for breaking with the history of providing public access to California’s roads and highways except in certain circumstances, such as private roads or when a public agency decides to close a public road to all traffic. On the one hand, the Crooked Street is a relatively unique street and the public will maintain free pedestrian access to the street. On the other hand, it is unclear how other local agencies may use this precedent to seek legislative authority to restrict access to some of their own public streets. In addition, not everyone can afford to pay $5 to $10 can drive on the road, and those that cannot have to resort to pedestrian access. People who cannot walk down the street must pay to access the landmark during peak visiting hours. The Board could decide to implement some fee waivers for the elderly, people with physical challenges, or low-income individuals. However, the bill does not require the City to put any of these policies in place. The Committee may wish to consider amending the bill to require that the board consider how to maintain access for those who cannot access the Crooked street as pedestrians, such as the elderly or those with physical limitations, and for those who cannot afford the fee.

3. Will it work? The Crooked Street faces unique challenges because of its location in a dense urban environment. If effective, the program may help address vehicle congestion issues, but result in more pedestrian congestion, which was one of the reasons why the pilot project that closed the street to all vehicles was not completely successful. The evaluations submitted to the Legislature after one year and five years of implementation will help determine whether the strategy is effective and worth the trade-off. However, the bill does not sunset the authority for SFCTA to operate the program if the evaluation shows the program is ineffective. Without legislative action, the pilot program could continue indefinitely. The Committee may wish to consider amending the bill to sunset the authority after the City submits the five-year evaluation, so that the City can make its case to the Legislature that the program should continue.

4. Special legislation. Section 16 of Article 4 of the California Constitution prohibits special legislation when a general law can apply. AB 1605 contains findings and declarations explaining the need for legislation that applies only to the Crooked Street in San Francisco.

5. Double-referred. The Senate Rules Committee has ordered a double-referral of AB 1605, first to the Senate Governance & Finance Committee, which has policy jurisdiction over local government fees, and second to the Senate Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over transportation issues.

Assembly Actions

Assembly Transportation Committee: 11-3

Assembly Floor: 51-18

Support and Opposition

(6/7/19)

Support: City and County of San Francisco; City and County of San Francisco, Board of Supervisors; San Francisco County Transportation Authority.

Opposition: Unknown.

-- END --

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 1605

Author:(Ting and Bloom)

As Amended Ver:April 10, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the "Crooked Street."

Major Provisions

1. Defines various terms including "Board of Supervisors" as the Board of Supervisors (Board) of the City and County of San Francisco, and "Crooked Street" as the portion of Lombard Street located between Leavenworth Street and Hyde Street in San Francisco.
2. Authorizes the Board to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance. Requires that the Board prior to adopting the ordinance to create the program to make findings certain findings, as specified.
3. Requires the Board to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
4. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following: designate an administrator for the pilot program; prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area; specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement; specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements; and require the program administrator to submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years. Authorizes the Board to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, including but not limited to, the authority to: impose fees on vehicles for use of the Crooked Street; impose penalties for violations; and collect and use revenues generated from the program to build operate, maintain, finance, and administer the program, and ensure regular monitoring and reporting.
5. Exempts the pilot program from existing prohibitions on imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway; and from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.

COMMENTS:

The so-called "Crooked Street," a residential segment of Lombard Street is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately 2 million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street.

Following up on previous attempts to help manage the visitors to the area, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study, published in February 2017, details the current conditions of the Crooked Street and surrounding neighborhood, and outlines a number of recommended congestion management strategies including an array of enforcement, engagement, and engineering improvements, which are being pursued by SFCTA. A longer term strategy recommended is to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles. Specifically, an electronic system would be developed to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street. Much like museums limit the amount of tickets available at any given time for popular exhibits, and allow those who plan ahead to reserve a time in advance, this strategy would allow for the flow and demand of automobiles entering the Crooked Street to be regulated, reducing queue lengths. The reservation system would be an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of the system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining, with prices and number of available reservations slots would be set for to meet that goal. Before accessing the Crooked Street by vehicle, visitors would go to a website, app, or kiosk to select a day and time to visit the street, registering with their license plate number. Visitors planning to use a rental car could reserve their spot and return to the reservation to update the license plate information once they have arrived and rented a vehicle.

The current plan is for a staff onsite to check reservations, through paper and electronic means, and help direct vehicles. It is anticipated that the reservation system would operate from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and cost $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays. The Crooked Street pilot is modeled after the 2017 implementation of a reservation parking system at Muir Woods National Monument in nearby Marin County.

According to the Author:

"The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the "Crooked Street" segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program."

Arguments in Support:

SFCTA, the sponsor, states, "Over the past few years, the number of visitors to the Crooked Street has grown significantly and now numbers 2 million per year. On busy days, visitors accessing the street by car can spend up to forty-five minutes waiting in a queue that backs up three or four blocks. Unlike other popular tourist attractions, the Crooked Street is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood, without any formal management system in place. In 2017, the Transportation Authority completed a study looking at conditions on the Crooked Street and recommended a reservation and pricing system to help manage the street. As we finalize our analysis of this concept, we anticipate the desire of the community to pilot a paid reservation system, which requires legislative authority from the state Vehicle Code in order to implement."

Arguments in Opposition:

None

FISCAL COMMENTS:

Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Legislative Counsel.

VOTES:

ASM TRANSPORTATION: 11-3-1

YES: Frazier, Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Chu, Daly, Friedman, Gipson, Grayson, Medina, Nazarian, O'Donnell

NO: Fong, Bigelow, Cunningham

ABS, ABST OR NV: Diep

UPDATED:

VERSION: April 10, 2019

CONSULTANT: Melissa White / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0000243

Date of Hearing: April 22, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Jim Frazier, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 1605 (

Author:Ting) – As Amended Ver:April 10, 2019

SUBJECT: City and County of San Francisco: Crooked Street Reservation and Pricing Program

SUMMARY: Authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the “Crooked Street.” Specifically, this bill:

1. Makes findings and declarations that millions of annual visitors to the 1000 block of Lombard Street in San Francisco, known as the Crooked Street, has deteriorated the safety and quality of life for residents of the street and surrounding community, and that implementation of a reservation and pricing program is a potentially useful tool for managing automobile demand and access for visitors to the street.
2. Declares the intent of the Legislature to authorize the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco to approve a reservation and pricing pilot for vehicles to use the Crooked Street to manage traffic congestion.
3. Defines:
   1. “Board of Supervisors” as the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco;
   2. “Crooked Street” as the portion of Lombard Street located between Leavenworth Street and Hyde Street in San Francisco;
   3. “Pilot program” as a reservation and pricing pilot program authorized by the bill; and
   4. “Program administrator” as the board or agency designated to administer the pilot program authorized by the bill.
4. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to conduct a reservation and pricing pilot program for vehicles that use the Crooked Street by adopting an ordinance.
5. Requires the Board of Supervisors prior to adopting the ordinance to create the program to make the following findings:
   1. The pilot program is likely to be successful in its goal of congestion management;
   2. The requirement to consult with the public, as specified, has taken place; and
   3. The pilot program is aligned with the objectives of the countywide congestion management program and the regional transportation plan.
6. Requires the Board of Supervisors to conduct at least two public outreach meetings or hearings within San Francisco to consider stakeholder views prior to adoption of the ordinance.
7. Requires the ordinance to do all of the following:
   1. Designate of a board or agency to administer the pilot program;
   2. Prioritize the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street and ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area;
   3. Specify how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement the program, including any allocation of the excess funds;
   4. Specify congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements; and
   5. Require the program administrator to evaluate the performance of the pilot program and submit a report to the Legislature after one year and five years of implementation.
8. Authorizes the Board of Supervisors to specify the powers and duties of the program administrator, including but not limited to, the authority to:
   1. Impose fees on vehicles for use of the Crooked Street;
   2. Impose penalties for violations; and
   3. Collect and use revenues generated from the program to build operate, maintain, finance, and administer the program, and ensure regular monitoring and reporting.
9. Exempts the pilot program from existing prohibitions on imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway; and from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
10. Declares that a special statute is necessary because of the unique need to manage traffic congestion on and around the 1000 block of Lombard Street.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Authorizes the Treasure Island Mobility Management Agency (TIMMA) to develop and implement a transportation program for Treasure Island, including congestion pricing fees, parking fees, and transit pass fees from residents and other visitors.
2. Authorizes numerous pricing or tolling facilities on state highways, including authorizing the California Transportation Commission to allow regional transportation agencies to develop and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
3. Authorizes local authorities, for highways under their jurisdiction, to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or resolution regarding specified matters, including, among others, prohibiting entry to, or exit from, or both entry to or exit from, any street by means of certain roadway design features to implement the circulation element of a general plan.
4. Prohibits local agencies from imposing a tax, permit fee, or other charge for the privilege of using its streets or highway, other than a permit for extra-legal loads, unless the local agency imposed the fee prior to June 1, 1989.
5. Prohibits local authorities from placing gates or other selective devices on any street which deny or restrict the access of certain members of the public to the street, while permitting others unrestricted access to the street.
6. Requires that any city or county that permits, restricts, or prohibits the use of a public or private highway, the traffic control devices erected must conform to the uniform standards and specifications adopted by the California Department of Transportation.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown, this bill is keyed non-fiscal by the Office of Legislative Counsel.

COMMENTS: The so-called “Crooked Street,” a residential segment of Lombard Street in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks. The Crooked Street, with its distinctive switchbacks, flowers, and vistas draws visitors from both around the world and locally, approximately 2 million visitors each year, roughly half in vehicles and half pedestrians. Traffic congestion on the street lasts roughly 12 hours a day, covers over three blocks, and takes up to 45 minutes to traverse the street. As overall tourism has increased in recent years, so has the number of tourists on the Crooked Street, and crowd control issues around the area have become more challenging.

Following up on previous attempts to help manage the visitors to the area, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) led a study on managing access to the Crooked Street. The study was recommended by San Francisco Commissioner Mark Farrell as part of the Neighborhood Transportation Improvement Program (NTIP), established to fund community-based, neighborhood-scale planning efforts, especially in underserved neighborhoods and areas with vulnerable populations (e.g. seniors, children, and/or people with disabilities).

The purpose of the study was to identify and evaluate a range of options to manage visitor access and circulation on Lombard Street between Hyde and Leavenworth streets, while maintaining the character of the block and avoiding spillover effects into adjacent streets. The study’s approach included goal-setting, existing conditions analysis, alternatives development, public outreach, and evaluation.

The study, published in February 2017, details the current conditions of the Crooked Street and surrounding neighborhood, including extreme and increasing safety concerns related to vehicle congestion, pedestrian congestion, livability, and tourism, with these issues spilling over to surrounding blocks on both ends of the Crooked Street, including an elementary school two blocks away. The study outlines a number of recommended strategies including an array of enforcement, engagement, and engineering improvements, which are being pursued by SFCTA. These strategies include increasing enforcement efforts of current traffic and parking laws with increased parking control officers, San Francisco Police department personnel, and to continue the so-called Ambassador program for assistance with cleaning, safety, and hospitality on Lombard Street. Additionally, SFCTA recommended engagement with the tourism industry to educate tour operators and visitors. The agency is also pursuing traffic engineering and signage enhancements to help address conflicts between vehicles, pedestrians, and transit.

A longer term strategy recommended is to implement a reservation and pricing system for vehicles as the most direct way to manage vehicle congestion, including the vehicle queues that form at peak periods. Specifically, an electronic system would be developed to manage reservations for and price access to the Crooked Street. Much like museums limit the amount of tickets available at any given time for popular exhibits, and allow those who plan ahead to reserve a time in advance, this strategy would allow for the flow and demand of automobiles entering the Crooked Street to be regulated, reducing queue lengths. The reservation system would be an all-electronic system, supported by a website, mobile app, and possible on-street kiosks to enable reservations, payments, and user support. The primary goal of the system would be to manage demand while being self-sustaining, with prices and number of available reservations slots would be set for to meet that goal.

According to the study, before accessing the Crooked Street by vehicle, visitors would go to a website, app, or kiosk to select a day and time to visit the street, registering with their license plate number. Visitors planning to use a rental car could reserve their spot and return to the reservation to update the license plate information once they have arrived and rented a vehicle. Signage along the approaches to the Crooked Street would advise that reservations are required and provide the web address at which to make one, along with an indication of what the price will be for those who choose to continue without a reservation. The price for continuing without a reservation would likely be significantly higher than that of visiting with a reservation, to discourage this practice.

The average capacity on the Crooked Street is about 220 vehicles per hour, so this many or fewer slots would likely be available for reservation. According to SFCTA, the current plan is for a staff onsite to check reservations, through paper and electronic means, and help direct vehicles. It is anticipated that the reservation system would operate from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and cost $5 on weekdays and $10 on weekends and holidays. The study, however, also proposed a different scenario with a 24/7 system, $5 at all times, with electronic collection and enforcement. Specifically, when a pre-registered vehicle enters the Crooked Street, automated cameras would read its license plate information and check it against the system database. If a non-preregistered vehicle enters the street, the system would recognize the need to charge and collect the higher non-reservation price, and the system would generate an invoice that would be mailed to the registered owner, much like the system in place at the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Crooked Street pilot is modeled after the recent implementation of a reservation parking system at Muir Woods National Monument in nearby Marin County. Muir Woods has struggled with how to manage its increasing popularity over the past 10 years. Issues stemming from high rates of visitation include damage to the natural environment; traffic congestion at the park and in surrounding neighborhoods; and safety concerns stemming from visitors parking over a mile from the entrance and walking along narrow, high-speed roads with no pedestrian facilities. The National Park Service and Marin County began developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in late 2014 to balance the needs of visitor accessibility and resource management, while addressing the impact that visitors could bring to the roads and residents of the area.

On-site parking management began at Muir Woods in December 2017, with reservations for entrance being accepted online and by phone in January 2018. Parking reservations cost $8 per car, while shuttle reservations cost $3 per person. Over the 10-year initial duration of the program, parking prices will automatically increase by $0.50 every 2 years, while shuttle prices will increase $0.25 every 2 years. All vehicles arriving at the park are required to have a reservation, and no reservations can be made on site. There is no remaining publicly available on-street, free/unreserved parking, and those parking on the road are subject to a $99 citation. The system is able to accept same day reservations, provided there are spaces remaining. They hold 5% of each day’s reservation slots for release 5 days in advance.

So far, the implementation of the reservation system has been successful in reducing the total number of visitors from over 1.1 million per year to approximately 950,000. Outside of 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on summer Saturdays and Sundays, most days do not sell out of reservations and many visitors are easily able to make same-day reservations to visit the park. Traffic volume and congestion on the surrounding roadways has been reduced, and visitors are able to travel to the site more reliably and predictably without wasting time in traffic.

AB 1605 would authorize the City and County of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors to develop and implement a similar reservation and pricing pilot program for the Crooked Street through development of an ordinance. The Board of Supervisors would have to make certain findings prior to approval of the ordinance, including that the pilot is likely to be successful in managing congestion, outreach to the public has been conducted, and the pilot is aligned with the objectives of the countywide congestion management plan and the regional transportation plan. Additionally, the bill also requires the ordinance to include specific policy goals and implementation details including, prioritizing the goals of significantly reducing local congestion and queues for vehicles seeking to travel down the Crooked Street; ensuring that program revenues are sufficient to implement the program and support traffic management activities in the area; specifying how the program would be adjusted if program revenues exceed the cost to implement the program, including any allocation of the excess funds; and specifying congestion reduction objectives and goals to be achieved, public involvement and consultation requirements, and performance measure requirements. Finally, the administrator of the pilot must evaluate its performance and report to the Legislature after one and five years.

According to the author, “The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), after an exhaustive public process, concluded a study in 2017 on managing access to the “Crooked Street” segment of Lombard Street, which attracts over 2 million visitors each year. This study recommended establishing a reservation and pricing program for access to the Crooked Street. AB 1605 authorizes the City and County of San Francisco to establish and administer this reservation and pricing program.”

Writing in support, the sponsor, SFCTA states, “Over the past few years, the number of visitors to the Crooked Street has grown significantly and now numbers 2 million per year. On busy days, visitors accessing the street by car can spend up to forty-five minutes waiting in a queue that backs up three or four blocks. Unlike other popular tourist attractions, the Crooked Street is situated in the middle of a residential neighborhood, without any formal management system in place. This high volume of visitors makes it challenging for both residents and visitors to safely and easily access the neighborhood.” Further, “In 2017, the Transportation Authority completed a study looking at conditions on the Crooked Street and recommended a reservation and pricing system to help manage the street. As we finalize our analysis of this concept, we anticipate the desire of the community to pilot a paid reservation system, which requires legislative authority

from the state Vehicle Code in order to implement.”

Also writing in support, the Russian Hill Neighbors, a neighborhood association representing the residents and merchants of Russian Hill, which encompasses the Crooked Street, notes that, “the high volume of visitors makes it difficult for the residents and visitors to access and enjoy the neighborhood. Residents are denied access to their own homes because of a continuous traffic jam extending several blocks down Lombard Street and tourists are subject to a frustrating wait of up to an hour to travel down the one-block of the Crooked Street.” Further, “this legislation will provide San Francisco with a valuable tool to manage traffic, reduce congestion, and improve the quality of life for the neighborhood surrounding this unique tourist attraction.”

Committee comments: The Legislature has previously authorized numerous forms of “pricing” to help control congestion, including HOT lanes and toll lanes in the Bay Area and Southern California. And more specially, San Francisco is authorized to develop a pricing scheme for Treasure Island to include tolls, parking fees, and mandatory transit passes to help manage traffic on the island and on the Bay Bridge. In fact, there have been discussions recently about charging $3.50 to enter and exit Treasure Island. SFCTA has noted that alternatives to pricing have been explored, including closing the road to vehicle traffic in 2014. This created other unintended consequences, such as visitors gathering and staying on the street, creating safety and cleanliness issues. Creating a reservation pilot, mirroring the one created by the National Park Service for Muir Woods, is reasonable to help manage access to this unique tourist destination.

Previous legislation: AB 141 (Ammiano), Chapter 443, Statutes of 2014, legally separated the TIMMA from the SFCTA for the purposes of implementing the Treasure Island transportation program.

AB 981 (Leno), Chapter 317, Statutes of 2008, enacted the Treasure Island Transportation Management Act and authorized the City and County of San Francisco to adopt by ordinance a congestion fee pricing structure for the island.

AB 1543 (Leno) of 2007, would have enacted the Treasure Island Transportation Management Act and authorized the City and County of San Francisco to adopt by ordinance a congestion fee pricing structure for the island. AB 1543 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

San Francisco County Transportation Authority (sponsor)

Russian Hill Neighbors, San Francisco

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Melissa White / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093