Hayes Closure

Hayes Street Closure: 2026 Permit Renewal

Hayes Street Closure: What the October 28 SFCTA Meeting Revealed October 28, 2026 | SFCTA Community Advisory Committee The San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s Community Advisory Committee received a presentation of preliminary findings from the Hayes Valley Public Life Study on October 28. No vote or recommendation was made. Read our Analysis of the Public Life Study The discussion nevertheless raised important questions about how the findings will inform the upcoming renewal of the Hayes Street closure, particularly since the …

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Hayes Valley Public Life Study: Paving the Way for the Status Quo

Six years after the recurring closure of Hayes Street began as a temporary pandemic-era arrangement, SFMTA is preparing to renew it yet again, this time with a Public Life Study that will not be completed until after the renewal decision. On October 22, 2026, HVS received the preliminary findings from the Hayes Valley Public Life Study. The SFMTA Board is scheduled to consider renewal on December 1. The study’s final phase is not expected until mid-2027. Despite years of unresolved …

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When Civic Participation Becomes Adversarial

Holding a different view on the future of a public street should not lead to a courtroom. Yet earlier this year, that is where years of civic advocacy surrounding the use of one block of Hayes Street ultimately led. What began years ago as questions about a temporary street closure gradually became something much larger: a dispute over representation, access, legitimacy, and eventually the nature of civic participation itself. Five months after the court proceeding ended, enough time has passed …

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