The natural steep grade was thought to be too dangerous. In the 1920s, a property owner suggested creating a series of switchbacks which not only added to the street's scenic appeal but made it safer for pedestrians.

September 5, 2025 - Once you reach pole position at the top of Lombard, get ready for a safe yet oddly dangerous-feeling experience—advancing forward while unable to see any of the road immediately in front of you can feel like you’re driving off a cliff.

April 9, 2025 - The transformation of Lombard Street began in 1922 when local property owner Carl Henry conceived an ingenious idea: a series of switchbacks that would tame the hill’s dangerous 27% grade.

Lombard Street in San Francisco ... beautiful Victorian mansions. If not for the byzantine curves, easing out this treacherous slope, people could be killed rolling down....

October 9, 2023 - The colorful plantings tucked into the curves of Lombard Street in San Francisco, Calif., make the trip down even more of an eyeful.photoquest7/Getty Images/iStockphoto · In San Francisco, there’s probably only one place that made horror actor Vincent Price dizzy while riding in a sidecar. The famous, crooked Lombard Street stretches for three miles, but just a short section attracts the most attention from the thousands of tourists who flock here.

November 16, 2025 - Lombard Street is known for the one-way block on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth streets, where eight sharp turns are said to make it the most crooked street in the world. The design, first suggested by property owner Carl Henry and built in 1922, was intended to reduce the hill's natural 27 percent grade, which was too steep for most vehicles.

... The street is famous for a small section near the top of Russian Hill, between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets. Here the hill is so steep (27°) that it would be too dangerous for most vehicles, so between 1922 and 1923 this part of Lombard Street was transformed into a switchback with eight ...

Based on Transportation Authority’s outreach, it was clear there is widespread consensus among community members that more robust enforcement of existing regulations could help address perceived traffic circulation and safety issues on the Crooked Street. One strategy, which received considerable support in public feedback, would be to increase the number of SFMTA Parking Control Officers, expanding their hours of deployment and the locations they patrol. This strategy would build off the “eyes on the street” function played by neighborhood residents and is currently supplemented by the Lombard Ambassadors managed by the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Ever since its appearance on a 1961 postcard, Lombard Street’s crooked segment has become a tourist attraction (Saperstein). Enduring about 250 vehicles per hour, cars may have to wait in a line for 20 minutes to reach the beginning of the block (SFCTA). San Francisco has spent the last several years trying to figure out a solution to accommodate both tourists and residents of the city.

Today, more than 2 million cars drive down it yearly. In fact, the city even recently proposed charging people to drive down it during busy times of the day. However, this was rejected and it's still free to walk or drive down Lombard Street ...

The street was hazardous to pass through because of its naturally steep grade. In the 1920s, a resident suggested adding switchbacks to make pedestrians safer and offer aesthetic appeal.

March 20, 2019 - It would take Jim Elrod, two hours and the help of a tow truck to get his big rig down the windy portion of Lombard Street, August 27, 1968. Elrod claimed that he was from out-of-town, and he missed the "No trucks allowed" sign.Joe Rosenthal / The Chronicle 1968 · Lombard Hill tank race, on one of San Francisco's "crookest" streets.

The World's Crookedest Street? Well, almost... ... Lombard Street in San Francisco is often called the most crooked street in the world.

It is one of the most crooked, famous for eight tight hairpins in a single block. Locals will point out Vermont Street at 20th in Potrero Hill as a rival, with its own sharp turns. For visitors, Lombard wins on views and atmosphere.

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Click the red map marker for Lombard Street’s crooked section. It’s easy to get to San Francisco’s crookedest street – Lombard Street – with the right directions. Lombard is a long street that includes highway on-ramps to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The origins of Lombard Street's design date back to the 1920s. Initially, the street was a straight, steep road on Russian Hill. However, its 27% grade was too steep for most vehicles to climb, especially those from the early 20th century.

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