Gearing up for Saturday rally, San Francisco limits some parking and transit

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As San Francisco gears up for a far-right rally on Saturday, as well as expected counterprotests, city officials are hurriedly preparing a transportation plan that will ban parking at some locations, cancel or reroute some Muni lines, and replace cable cars and historic streetcars with plain old buses.

A right-wing rally is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Crissy Field, while counterprotests are planned at Civic Center Plaza and Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro. Other demonstrations are expected at other sites around the city.

The city plans are in addition to measures being taken by the National Park Service, which governs Crissy Field and the Presidio. The park service’s security plan includes closing the area around Crissy Field to vehicles and bicycles, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Palace of Fine Arts, and allowing pedestrians to enter only at the Marina Boulevard Gate at Mason Street.

Pedestrians will be screened for a number of banned items, including guns and weapons of any kind, helmets and shields, balloons, selfie sticks and pepper spray. The Presidio’s Main Post will be closed to all visitors.

Because of the potential chaos and congestion, the city’s Municipal Transportation Agency advises anyone trying to get around the city on Saturday to take public transit, walk, ride a bike or hail a cab.

But taking transit will be a challenge in some parts of the city. Muni will not serve the Marina or Cow Hollow neighborhoods on Saturday, and will not run the 76X-Marin Headlands buses. Muni buses will also eliminate stops at the parking lot south of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Five Muni lines will be rerouted: the 22-Fillmore, 28-19th Avenue, 30-Stockton, 43-Masonic and 45-Union-Stockton. Other lines may be rerouted if necessary: the E-Embarcadero, F-Market & Wharves, 5-Fulton, 19-Polk and 21-Hayes.

In the Civic Center area, parking will be banned on the streets surrounding the plaza, and the underground parking garage will be closed.

Golden Gate Bridge officials will shut the south parking lots beginning at 5 p.m. Friday until about 8 p.m. Saturday. During that time, no transit or tourist buses or private vehicles will be allowed to stop in the lots. The Bridge cafe, Round House and Welcome Center will also close for the day.

Sidewalks on the bridge will be open to bicyclists and pedestrians but all paths to Crissy Field will be closed.

Restrictions will be in place on the north end of the bridge Saturday and Sunday, with access to the lots limited to tour buses.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@ctuan