London did it. New York did it. And now San Francisco is doing it.
The City by the Bay has banished cars from a stretch of its waterfront, creating a pedestrian paradise that offers an enticing glimpse of a city where public spaces are designed for people, not vehicles. Like all good things, however, it comes with a catch: You had better like football, and it won't last long.
The temporary car-free zone is Super Bowl City, a "fan village" that Verizon sponsored. It opened January 30 and runs through game day on Sunday. It's packed with places to grab a bite, get a drink (mostly beer), and catch a show by the likes of Alicia Keys, OneRepublic, and Chris Isaak.
Actually, there are two catches: Super Bowl City is making of a mess of downtown. It sits at the intersection of Market Street and the Embarcadero, shutting down four very busy blocks in a city that's got some of the country's most hellish congestion. Making matters worse, the mass transit system already struggles to keep up with spiraling demand without dealing with the million extra people coming to town for the big game. Yeah, a million.
The city says it's got a plan to keep everybody moving. It's rerouting buses, establishing detours for cars, ramping up subway service, and encouraging people to walk, or at least ride a bike. We weren't sure it's enough, so we raced through the city using public transit, a car service, and a bike to see what works best, and how well San Francisco is prepared for Super Bowl traffic.
We'll let you watch the video for the results, but one thing is clear: If cities like San Francisco want to successfully imitate London's Carnaby Street or New York's pedestrian plazas on Broadway, they've got to seriously rethink how people get from A to B.
