Stretching across San Francisco from The Presidio to The Embarcadero, Lombard Street has become a cultural cornerstone of the California city, especially to tourists. Containing a segment whose excessively steep grade is neutralized by installing 8 hairpin turns, the street claims to be the most crooked in the world. The segment lined with beautiful flowers and red brick road is a sight to be seen, and slowly driven down.
The tectonic activity at the Pacific Ocean’s coast has given San Fransisco a local landscape full of steep hills. The subduction of the ocean’s tectonic plate underneath the continental plate caused land to uplift (Howell). There are many infrastructural challenges that accompany hills, including the construction of homes and streets.
In 1920’s, Lombard Street’s steep hill segment reduced property value for uphill homeowners, whose homes could not be reached via car (Saperstein). Carl Henry, resident and owner of much of the block’s property, proposed a curved street that would reduce the brutal 27% grade (Saperstein). After his death, city engineer Clyde Healy began work on a curved street, inspired by Henry’s plans or possibly by fellow engineer William Barclay Parsons who worked on infrastructure in other parts of the city (Saperstein). After the installation of 8 hairpin turns, the hill’s grade reduced to a drive-able 16% while pedestrians would walk up stairs on each side (Saperstein). The block’s vegetation is thanks to parks and recreation commissioner Peter Bercut, who replaced the initial plants with flowers, including hydrangeas which were responsible for reducing much of the erosion on the hill (Saperstein).
Ever since its appearance on a 1961 postcard, Lombard Street’s crooked segment has become a tourist attraction (Saperstein). Enduring about 250 vehicles per hour, cars may have to wait in a line for 20 minutes to reach the beginning of the block (SFCTA). San Francisco has spent the last several years trying to figure out a solution to accommodate both tourists and residents of the city. Tourism aids the local economy, but Lombard Street’s crooked block is a rare case in which visitors directly contribute to delays as the city’s infrastructure is the destination, not the method of transportation. In 2014, the city attempted a pilot closure of the block but received mixed feedback from residents (SFCTA). While vehicle traffic was reduced, foot traffic increased in the area; with pedestrians wandering all over the block, not bound by any street, residents found their homes to be treated like a tourist destination, instead of the street (SFCTA). The city eventually designed a program that would require a fee for entry, lower in the case of tourists who made a prior reservation (SFCTA). However, upon the legislation’s veto from Governor Gavin Newsom, the city has begun development of a free reservation system as of 2019 (SFCTA).
Peter Rubin
Bibliography
- Saperstein, S. 2012. Lombard Street. Guidelines: Newsletter for San Francisco City Guides and Sponsors. Published online.
- Howell, J. 2020. San Francisco Rocks! The Fascinating History Behind Bay Area Geology. Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Published online
- Heidel, A. et al. 2017. Lombard Study: Managing Access to the “Crooked Street”. San Francisco County Transportation Authority.