December 1, 2025
Attention SFMTA:
See conditions for this past weekend:
Friday November 28, 2025
Saturday November 29, 2025
This marks the 51st consecutive week of documented noncompliance on the the 400 block of Hayes Street and the first weekend under the new permit term (Permit No.1316522). Despite the issuance of a new permit, conditions remain unchanged:
- Unattended and unmanned barricades
- Barricades moved out of place
- Vehicles parked within the closure, obstructing the required emergency access lane
- No established 20-foot emergency access lane due to lack of cone placement or markings
- No cone placement on Saturday at 10:30 am (Octavia end)
- No required no-parking signs posted
- Skateboard, bicycle, motorcycle, and scooter use
- Non permitted vendor (“Signature” men’s clothing tent) operating inside the closure on Saturday
- General advertising prohibited under Shared Spaces rules
Day 1 of this new permit term reflects the exact same failures as the prior one: no oversight, no compliance, and no meaningful stewardship of the public right-of-way. The basic conditions required to operate this closure, including posted signage, monitored barricades, and a maintained 20-foot emergency access lane, were again not met. Vehicles parked within the closure made the emergency lane impossible to establish, compounding the absence of any cone placements or markings required to delineate it. These failures are not incidental; they reflect an operator unwilling or unable to meet even the minimum obligations of the permit.
The continued use of the 400 block for informal recreational activity, absent any meaningful management or compliance, imposes direct economic burdens on small businesses that rely on visibility and access. Bordering residential blocks also bear the brunt of this unmanaged closure… added traffic, noise, and litter without any corresponding public benefit. A permit that removes these benefits while providing no structured or accountable public programming represents a misuse of the right-of-way and an avoidable hardship for the corridor.
Given that these same conditions have persisted for more than a year and now continue into a second permit term without correction, we again urge SFMTA to revoke Permit No. 1316522 and restore Hayes Street to its intended, lawful use.
This correspondence has been edited for clarity and conciseness. Routine greetings, scheduling notes, and contact details have been omitted; the substance of the communication remains unchanged.
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