Following the Fourth of July fireworks show at the Golden Gate Bridge that ended with traffic gridlock, stuck Waymo vehicles and Muni buses moving at a snail’s pace, a supervisor has requested an inquiry from several city departments to determine what went wrong on the city’s streets that evening.
At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood formally submitted a letter inquiry to the Mayor’s Office, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Department of Emergency Management, and the Fire Department to figure out how city departments coordinated with each other and improvements that can be made for the next event.
“This letter is not about assigning blame,” Mahmood said. “It’s about understanding what happened, what worked, and what did not, and how we improve before the next major event.”
Mahmood added that attention to autonomous vehicles was also warranted with social media posts of stalled Waymo vehicles that contributed to the traffic gridlock in the northern neighborhoods of the city, specifically near the Presidio. Last December, Waymo vehicles also stalled throughout the city during a power outage.
“This past Fourth of July raises additional questions about how these vehicles operate during large-scale events and unusual traffic conditions and contribute to the degradation of the network on the whole,” Mahmood said.
The supervisor said he also wanted to understand how emergency responders were impacted that evening.
Special Muni shuttle buses, which were supposed to transport fireworks watchers to viewing locations, faced long lines ahead of the event. Those same buses were also stuck in the gridlock after the fireworks show as riders attempted to get home. Some on social media said they ended up walking.
There was a Marina Fireworks Shuttle that ran from Cyril Magnin and Market Street to Marina Middle School and a Pier 39 Fireworks Shuttle that ran from Embarcadero station to North Point and Kearny streets.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA sent out this ominous post on the social media platform X at 8:46 p.m. on July 4, about 30 minutes before the fireworks show:
“ATTN: Due to unprecedented crowds & traffic in SF for the fireworks tonight, the Muni system is experiencing significant delays. Muni riders waiting in line @ Powell may miss the fireworks. Please consider other forms of transp.: Walking, bicycling, scooters, taxis & rideshare.”
A following post warned about possible delays along the waterfront due to the volume of people leaving following the end of the fireworks:
“The record volume of attendees along the waterfront will cause significant delays when the fireworks end. Consider walking or biking, taxis & rideshare. Or, take the time & enjoy the bars/restaurants in & around the waterfront neighborhoods until traffic congestion improves.”
At a press conference earlier this week, KQED reported that the transportation agency’s streets director, Viktoria Wise, said that the SFMTA was unable to handle the volume of people who attended to watch the fireworks. It was reported that over 100,000 people attended the event.
Ahead of the event, Wise, in a press release, encouraged the public to walk, bike, take transit, or take a taxi.
Normally held along the waterfront, this year’s fireworks show was held at the Golden Gate Bridge in celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday. Compared to the waterfront, which is more transit-rich, with BART, Muni Metro, and more Muni bus routes in the area, the surrounding area where the fireworks took place is not, as noted by Wise at the press conference.
The next major scheduled event is Fleet Week in October, and District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherill wants to make sure the city is ready. Sherill called for a hearing about the city’s preparations, which is scheduled to take place in September.
