Should I Take my Car to San Francisco?

Question

I am moving from San Diego to San Francisco to attend SFSU, and everyone keeps telling me to leave my car behind. If you have ever lived in San Diego you know that you NEED a car to survive. I am still making payments on my car and am wondering what to do... Also, I looked at Muni and Bart lines and typed in some destinations that came out to be 58 minutes long, and when I mapquested it, it would only take 15 minutes by car.... Does anyone have advice/suggestions?? Thanks in advance..

Answer 1

There are pros and cons to having a car in SF, especially in the SFSU area.

Cons: DPT (the go cart fascist bragade, aka Department of Parking and Traffic) will nab you first chance they get, either with street cleaning, meter expirations, chalking of tires, blocking drives (which will promptly get you ticketed and towed), etc. Traffic can be challenging at times, especially near 19th Avenue where SFSU is. Safety may be an issue, but that true of everywhere. Circling for what seems like forever trying to park also isn't so fun.

Having said that, there are positives. 1) You'll be right at 19th Ave which means you can hop over to the 280 freeway right there. 2) Muni/Bart can limit your options and constrict your schedule. 3) When the rest of the Bay area is enjoying the hot sun and SFSU is surrounded by fog, you'll be actually able to enjoy the weather else where. 4) Great way to meet people seeing as having a car is a rarity.

I took my car to college in the city and yes it was a pain in the butt at times but I loved it. Especially getting lost in the city and learning my way around. Or instead of waiting for one of the express lines, I could just shoot downtown. Traffic really isn't all that bad once you find the shortcuts. Also another perk is that you can go out to the Marina or Haight etc, without having to transfer buses or rails, etc or cut your night short by having to catch the last run.

I mean experientially, you should make it a point, it you bring your car up, to both explore SF through Muni and driving. And financially maybe it would be best to leave it down in SD. But I really wouldn't, especially if you want to see more than SFSU.

Good luck.

P.S. You'll find that every mapquest from any given point A to point B in the city will be 12-15 minutes. It generally depends... most of the time I would expect a half hour.

Answer 2

Honestly, living out by SF State is probably easier to have a car than living anywhere else in the City. If your new place comes with a parking space bring it. When I started grad school at USF, I did not bring my car originally, but I liked going to Marin and other trips not easily accessible by bus/muni/bart.

The problem is traffic can be difficult (Look up 511.org at rush hour and check driving times of some of those trips you looked up on a map), and the street cleaning requires the you to move your car at least once per week.

If you can, you can leave it in SD, and try bart/muni/bus for a few weeks to see how you like it.

Answer 3

It might only take 15 minutes in the middle of the night. The traffic there is horrid! I lived across the bay from San Francisco for 30 years. I never drove into the city, always taking BART and the buses. Parking is pretty bad too.

San Francisco and San Diego are very different cities. In San Francisco you can walk many places you'll want to get. In San Diego you can't, things are more spread out. My suggestion is take a quick weekend to see for yourself.

Answer 4

If you live in the city of San Francisco you do not need to own a car. If you live in the suburbs you will need one.

SFSU is notoriously bad for parking. You will pay for parking one way or another, fines, having your car damaged, parking fees.

While mapquest may say 15 minutes SF traffic is very heavy and it may take just as long to drive as take public transporation.

Another compromise is to BART into the city and then ride a bike from the Bart Station to campus.

SF also has carshare programs
http://www.zipcar.com/
http://www.citycarshare.org/

Answer 5

Daily parking at SFSU's Lot 20 (Garage) and Lot 25 (Outdoors) is $5.00 per day. On school days, these lots can fill up pretty quickly...so you might want to schedule either early morning classes or late night classes if you're driving.

Lot 4 and Lot 6 are for drop-offs and deliveries, so you can only park for 20 minutes there. All other parking lots (the ones closest to the lecture halls and dorms, of course) are reserved for faculty, staff, and residents with permits.

If you must find street parking, do not block anyone's driveway (not even one inch). Those homeowners not above calling the cops to tow you in order to prove a point. Don't even think about parking at the Nordstorm and Macy's department stores next to campus. They have security cameras. And also remember that the Metro trains and pedestrians have the right-of-way.

Answer 6

I personally would keep the car. but you will need to answer this question for yourself based on your likes, needs and certainly your finances! Having a car will be MUCH more convenient, albeit MUCH more expensive

San Francisco certainly differs from San Diego in that a you do not NEED a car. In fact there is plenty of public transportation available to students at SFSU. The public transportation system here is somewhat reliable, certainly not as reliable as in other major cities such as NYC or Chicago. Unlike cities such as New York it is certainly POSSIBLE to have a car.

You will get around faster in a car without a doubt. especially at night. Parking is tough, but as cities go...not impossible. Your expenses with a car will be higher in terms of payments, maintenence, gas, parking and inevitable parking tickets from time to time. With a car it is certaily easier to get out of town for day trips. shopping will be easier as well. Good luck

Answer 7

If it takes you 58 minutes to get there, it sounds like maybe you're living outside of the city limits? I have a car in SF. It's really annoying, however, I live in Nob Hill and parking sucks here. If I lived out by SFSU I probably wouldn't complain nearly as much. Parking isn't too bad. I guess it depend on the area in SF that you're moving to. Marina, Nob Hill, Russian Hill and most of Pacific Heights are bad. Many other areas are okay. I never drive in SF, however, I love having my car to go on road trips outside of the city. Good luck!

Answer 8

As others have pointed out, the parking is atrotious. It's nice to have a car for trips... but otherwise take transit. The traffic along the Penisula is horrid.

I live down on the Penisula (San Carlos) and I've been using public transit and my bike for the last 10 years for almost everything to avoid the traffic. I even take CalTrain and ACE-Rail to Stockton...

I only use my truck for work, and in most cases leave it at the site and bike home.

I used to take CalTrain to work in Mountain View... it was 20 minutes FASTER than driving.

Answer 9

like most people said, parking there is very horrible..there are pros and cons to taking your car.if u dont mind taking muni and bart, i suggest u leave the car and take a bike, skateboard, or etc with you..theres a lot of transportation throught SF.

would u rather spend ur money on transportation or would u rather spend it on high gas price and parking tickets?

Answer 10

if you are living on or near campus leave your car-BART and the muni trains are really fast around townparking is expensive and theft is a problem