San Francisco supervisors eye hearing on fireworks traffic gridlock

As the city’s fireworks show off the Golden Gate Bridge ended, revelers were faced with heavy traffic and an inability to leave the area.

In a Saturday night post on X, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said that the volume of attendees caused a significant delay on Muni buses, and encouraged people to instead walk, bike, take a taxi or ride-hailing service, or enjoy a bar or restaurant in the area until the congestion cleared.

But even the autonomous vehicle company Waymo faced problems such as stalling that added to the gridlock. Fireworks watcher Damian Hernandez wrote on social media that he had been trapped behind stalled Waymo vehicles for over four hours behind the Palace of Fine Arts.

A spokesperson for Waymo acknowledged that several of their cars’ batteries had died due to “extreme traffic conditions” but said they were able to dispatch a roadside assistance team to eventually clear roads.

Waymo faced the ire of the city last December during power outages, when traffic signals were down and hundreds of Waymo vehicles were left halted in roads, clogging intersections and blocking public transit and first responders.

In response to this and to demands voiced by constituents for an improved operational plan for large scale events in District 2 on the northern end of the city, Supervisor Stephen Sherrill said Monday that he intends to call for a hearing at the city’s Government Audit and Oversight Committee to examine areas in which the city can improve, especially as October’s Fleet Week approaches.

“San Francisco needs to be able to host exciting, world-class events safely and efficiently,” Sherrill said in an email. “By reviewing our response now, we can strengthen coordination and ensure future events are well-managed and successful for all.”

Sherrill plans to invite members of the SFMTA, the Police Department, the Department of Emergency Management and other relevant stakeholders to the hearing.

In a post on X, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said that he would be submitting a letter of inquiry to city departments to better understand what happened this weekend, particularly as it relates to Waymo vehicles, which he said contributed to gridlock, and the other “insufficient transit options available,” according to the post.

Mahmood also sits as vice chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee.

“We expect a response from each relevant department within two weeks on what went wrong, and what changes will be made for the next major event,” Mahmood posted.

While not offering any concrete plans, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s spokesperson Charles Kretchmer Lutvak said that public safety was the city’s top priority and that he was glad most people enjoyed the fireworks safely.

“We understand that with more than 100,000 people in the area, some people experienced delays getting home, and we will have conversations with our public and private partners to ensure the experience is smoother next time,” Lutvak said.

The date for the Government Audit and Oversight Committee hearing has yet to be released.