Could You Imagine San Francisco Without Cable Cars?

Charter Reforms could have included provisions to get rid of Cable Cars. SPUR was pushing for it. 

With a lawsuit from a December incident that left someone suffering severe injuries, the City may have to pay out beaucoup bucks. But the answer isn’t closing down the cable car program — because it’s in the charter. And the mayor’s proposals to reform the charter could have very well included SPUR’s recommendation to change it. They didn’t. But they could have.

December 15 was a misty, cool San Francisco day. It was mid-afternoon and the cable car had reached maximum speed (9 ½ miles an hour, for those curious). Then everything came screeching to a halt. The operator used something called a slot brake, an 18 inch wedge of steel. That’s about the size of a large pizza or a standard bowling pin – large out of necessity. After all, a cable car weighs 15-20,000 pounds! 

The sudden stop shattered the windows. It also broke a man. According to lawyers, “The client’s injuries include acute fractures of the C6 laminae bilaterally; C6-C7 anterior osteophyte fracture, splaying of the C6-C7 disc space, cervical cord injury, endplate fracture of T11, deep laceration to the forehead, pain in the head, shoulders, arms, hands, abdomen, left leg, left foot, and buttocks, as well as neurological and cognitive problems including balance issues, confusion, ringing in the ears, dizziness, and headaches.” 

A woman once got injured in a similar way on the cable car and woke up unbelievably horny. No kidding. She sued the City and got paid out in recompense for the strange turn her life had made when she bumped her head in the incident. 

This case didn’t include any known symptoms of nymphomania, but it did raise a question. Why does San Francisco keep cable cars running?

Folks know I have a strong opinion on this. I think cable cars are iconic, that they are a symbol of our city’s daring and innovation, and that they deserve to be invested in. Sure, they don’t make Muni any dough, but they certainly add to the atmosphere of this great City. I recently saw a replica on stupid rubber tires driving down Gough and it simply wasn’t the same. It was a party bus, a mockery. I mean, I wouldn’t mind if someone rented one and threw a party for me on it, but it’s no substitute for the proper cable car experience. 

Still, it makes you wonder. And the answer to why the city keeps the cable cars is in the Charter. The very governing document the Mayor is trying to reform, based on the suggestions he received from SPUR (formerly the San Francisco Planning and Urban Renewal Association). 

In March, SPUR tested the waters with a report on the cost to run the cable cars. Could they push the media narrative and convince San Franciscans to vote for a charter reform package that would include an amendment on the cable car provision? The answer was a resounding no. Even the Paper of Record published an opinion piece in April that the cable cars need to stay. SPUR backed off.

So do the reforms include SPUR’s recommendation to “Leave requirement to maintain cable car operations in charter, but shift operating protocols and details to the administrative code”? According to one of their presentations shared with this author, no. That part wasn’t included, even though SPUR wanted it. 

We’re keeping the cable cars. But we need to invest in the maintenance and operations of them to make sure nobody else gets injured. When a swingset gets creaky, you don’t remove it and tell kids it’s gone. You repair it. 

The cable car operators are consistently the friendliest faces I’ve seen in SF. They always smile, wink, wave, and make this seem like the magical place it truly is. It’s unclear what exactly made the operator(s) conduct an emergency stop, but right around the same time we saw a Waymo block a cable car. And there are always idiot drivers. That makes me think it could have been a lot worse. People could have died. 

Still, an injury like this costs the City money, it hurts our reputation, and of course it totally blows for the person who just wanted to ride one of our icons. Hopefully the City realizes there are no easy fixes for this kind of thing.