San Francisco Blames Rushed July 4 Planning and Waymo for 100,000-Person Traffic Meltdown
Updated
Updated · The San Francisco Standard · Aug 4
San Francisco Blames Rushed July 4 Planning and Waymo for 100,000-Person Traffic Meltdown
2 articles · Updated · The San Francisco Standard · Aug 4
Summary
More than 100,000 July 4 attendees were trapped in hours of gridlock after San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge fireworks show, prompting hearings, probes and demands for answers a month later.
City records and agency responses said planning was rushed, with the first full interagency meeting held only on June 8 even though officials said comparable events normally require six months of preparation.
Waymo vehicles worsened the jam: one stalled in the Presidio by 8:20 p.m., more than 10 robotaxis backed up behind it within 40 minutes, and some later ran out of battery before tow trucks could reach them.
Transit also broke down under the congestion, with SFMTA raising shuttles from 30 to 40 but still seeing a bus line top 1,000 people and some buses immobilized for more than an hour.
The fallout is widening beyond Waymo, with Supervisor Bilal Mahmood still awaiting a response from the mayor’s event manager and another supervisor seeking safeguards before Fleet Week in October.