No cars on Lombard? No problem

David Petrosyan pushes Carina Goul, 2, up Lombard Street as father Aram and brother Leo, 5, trail behind. The famously crooked S.F. street was closed to casual drivers Saturday for the first time under a new ban in effect for a few weekends. less David Petrosyan pushes Carina Goul, 2, up Lombard Street as father Aram and brother Leo, 5, trail behind. The famously crooked S.F. street was closed to casual drivers Saturday for the first time under a new ... more Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close No cars on Lombard? No problem 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Let history record that a black Ford Expedition was the last vehicle allowed to travel east on Lombard Street on Saturday before the city's newest road obstacle - closing the legendary crooked block on weekend afternoons to casual drivers - went into force.

A red Chevy Volt at 12:05 p.m. was the first car turned away, though the driver didn't seem to mind.

"It's a ban? I thought maybe someone was shooting a movie," said Susan Laarman of Portland, Ore., on a visit here with her son, Ethan Hughes, 15. They emerged from their parking space on Lombard just east of Larkin Street, where a parking control officer had placed a "local access only" sign promptly at noon. "Getting out of the car might be a good thing, considering all the food we're eating."

The weekend closures, from noon to 6 p.m., will be in force for the next three weekends, at the behest of residents who have complained for years that too many cars are clogging their red-brick block, especially during tourist season. The Municipal Transportation Agency's board of directors approved the trial last month, despite critics who pointed out that "the crookedest street in the world" has been on tourist to-do lists for generations.

So the word went out and the warning signs went up and by 11:30 a.m. Saturday a small platoon of parking control officers were on hand to deal with come what may - even officers a bit dubious about their upcoming role in thwarting a four-wheel tradition.

"I don't get the neighbors' point of view. Why buy a house on a block that tourists come to from around the world?" mused an officer stationed at Larkin Street. "This is one of the things that says 'San Francisco,' like Fisherman's Wharf or the Golden Gate Bridge."

But the scenic scene has gotten out of hand, said a nearby resident who ambled up to the corner of Lombard and Hyde streets to see the new era dawn.

"If you lived here, you'd understand. It gets brutal on weekends," said the Russian Hill resident, who lives three blocks away and identified himself only as Greg. "It's always been brutal, but the last four years has changed the area."

Whether or not the experiment sticks, it began with unexpected smoothness. As noon approached, traffic was light, and there was no backup to be seen.

Not all traffic is banned: Taxis can navigate the curves, and residents of the block with permits are allowed to drive to and from their garages.

That might not be so easy, however. A few minutes after the road closure signs went up, the crowds of visitors began filling the snaky brick void - strolling, taking photos, enjoying the spacious counterpart to the block's cramped sidewalks.

"This gives us an opportunity to enjoy it more," smiled Dean Speer, a visitor from Alabama who had strolled over from Fisherman's Wharf with his daughter, Amanda, and his son, Sam.

Down at Larkin Street, by 12:30 the parking control officer had only needed to break the no-curve news to a half-dozen drivers.

"Everyone's just like 'why?' " shrugged the officer. "They didn't get the memo. But they aren't upset or anything."