San Francisco Transportation

San Francisco Transportation

Muni is the public transit system for San Francisco and consists of light rail trains, street cars, buses and cable cars.

To plan your trip, download the MuniMobile app that is available for both iOS and Android.

Transporting Bikes on Muni

Metro and Light Rail Vehicles Only folding bikes are allowed
Historic Vehicles Only folding bikes are allowed.
Buses Racks are available in the front. Folding bikes are allowed inside.
Cable Cars Bikes are not allowed.

 

Car and Moped Share

Vehicle sharing is both convenient and affordable. Car providers in the city are Zipcar, Getaround, U-Haul (24/7 self-service vans) and GIG. The primary provider in the city for shared mopeds is Scoot.

 

Using Your Own Vehicle

Here's a few things to keep in mind to avoid parking illegally:

72-Hour Time Limit for One Parking Spot This applies for regular-sized passenger vehicles and motorcycles.
Curbs Park 18 inches from curbs.
Hills

Curb your tires on hills of 3+% grade. Check your street with this tool.

  • Sloping driveways: Turn your wheels away from the street.
  • Headed downhill: Turn your front wheels into the curb.
  • Headed uphill: Turn your front wheels away from the curb, and let your vehicle roll back a few inches, with the wheel gently touching the curb.
  • Headed uphill or downhill with no curb: Turn the wheels away from the center of the road.
Permit Areas You can't re-park in the same permit area when your time limit expires. Legally, you must move at least a block away.
Broken Meters Report broken meters to the city at 311.
Street Sweeping After streets have been cleaned, you can park even if time limits have not expired.

 

Bridges

Golden Gate Bridge

There is toll-free access on sidewalks all day.

Depending on when you plan to head out, you will enter either through the East or West sidewalk. Check the bridge's schedule here. The East sidewalk has buzzers located near the security gates at both ends of the sidewalk that you will need to press.

San Francisco-Oakland Bridge

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Path on the East Span of the Bay Bridge is open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. There is also the Bay Ridge Trail that's open 24/7.

There's three access points to the Bike and Pedestrian Path: (1) at Shellmound Street, Emeryville outside the IKEA store; (2) at the Caltrans Bridge Yard Building on 210 Burma Road, Oakland and (3) at Yerba Buena Island. While parking isn't available at Yerba Buena Island, you can park on Treasure Island, where a shuttle is provided by the city. There is also an eastbound bus service from the Bay Ridge toll plaza by AC Transit, Oakland's public transit agency.

 

For more helpful things to know when in the city, find Livelo's Guide to Road Cycling in San Francisco here.

 

Sources:
1. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
2. Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District
3. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Projects
Images:
1. Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District
2. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Seismic Safety Projects
 
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