Taking You Out To The Ol' Ballgame

The baseball season is in full swing and the Giants kick things off today with a 10-game home stand that will see the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Pardes and Colorado Rockies make their way through town.

Whether you are new to town or a seasoned pro here are a few tips on how to navigate your way to and from the ballpark on game days.

A Muni light rail vehicle along The Embarcadero.

Transit

The following Muni service is available to and from all home games:

• E Embarcadero (service ends at 6 p.m.)
  • E Line service will resume later this month.
• T Third
• N Judah
• Metro Ballpark Shuttles
• 10 Townsend
• 30 Stockton
• 45 Union/Stockton
• 47 Van Ness

In order to reduce wait times, fans are encouraged to pre-load their transit fare onto a Clipper Card or purchase Muni fare in advance for multiple people on one smartphone, by downloading and paying their fare using the Muni Mobile app.

The SFMTA will schedule additional Metro “ballpark shuttles” to supplement the existing N Judah and T Third service to the ballpark located at King and 2nd streets.

The additional service begins two hours prior to the game and continues until approximately 20 minutes after the start of the game.

The SFMTA will deploy Parking Control Officers (PCOs) to assist fans in getting to and from the game. Prior to each game, these PCOs are deployed to key locations around the ballpark to facilitate pedestrian safety, efficient movement of transit vehicles and other traffic.

More details about Muni service to the ballpark, including connections from other Bay Area transit systems, can be found at sfmta.com. Regional transit information for BART, Caltrain and the ferries, as well as traffic, is available at 511.org.

Traffic

Weekday games often end near the afternoon commute. Motorists should, therefore, expect heavy traffic on freeways and streets near the ballpark and on all approaches to the Bay Bridge on those days. The games listed below will most likely experience heavy traffic for the evening commute.

The SFMTA advises motorists of the increased congestion during game days and advises commuters to use transit and avoid using the Bay Bridge on these dates. To see a complete schedule of Giants games and additional travel and parking information on game days please visit the Giants’ website.

Taxi Zones

The SFMTA has four taxi zones serving the ballpark in effect on event days:

• East side of 2nd Street between King and Townsend, 7 spaces.
• West side of 2nd Street between King and Townsend, 2 spaces.
• West side of 2nd Street between Townsend and Brannan, 5 spaces.
• West side of 3rd Street between King and Townsend, 5 spaces.

Please be advised that:

• U-turns are not permitted on 2nd Street.
• Parking Control Officers generally close access to 2nd Street at Townsend Street at the beginning of the 7th inning.
• Taxis are generally allowed past the closure if 2nd Street is clear of pedestrians.

Bicycles

The ballpark is accessible by a dedicated bike lane that runs along The Embarcadero and on Townsend Street. Bicycle routes with sharrows on 2nd and 5th streets connect to the Townsend Street bicycle lane. A bicycle lane on Folsom Street and a bicycle route on Market Street connect those riding a bike to The Embarcadero.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition operates a secure bike parking facility at the ballpark. Bicycle parking is located on the south side of the ballpark, along the Port Walk, and opens two hours before every game and closes 30 minutes after each game.

Bike sharing is also a way to get to the game and Bay Area Bike Share stations for bike share pick-up and drop-off are located near the ballpark at the Caltrain Depot at 4th and Townsend as well as Townsend and 2nd streets.

On-Street Parking

Parking meters on blocks near the ballpark are in operation during most games. Meters within walking distance of the ballpark operate until 10 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays, and are priced at $7/hour during events. The parking meters near the ballpark have a four-hour time limit or longer and accept credit cards and cell phone payment, in addition to coin and the SFMTA parking card. For more details, please our website.