Larger crowds, traffic for busy weekend in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Fleet week is underway in San Francisco, as well as other events that are sure to make getting in and out of the city a real challenge.

Emergency officials have beefed up security in anticipation of the large crowds and heavy traffic.

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Public transit is your best option to get around -- that's the message emergency officials are trying to get across. "Traffic in San Francisco can be pretty bad, so take public transportation," advises Bijan Karimi, assistant deputy director for the Department of Emergency Management.

San Francisco's Emergency Operations Center has been fully activated due to the multiple events.

"We do have additional representatives from some departments, and that just allows us work across the table with those reps to have quicker communication," said Karimi. This means sheriff, police, fire, and homeland security officials working in the same room to respond to any emergency.

To help ease traffic, ferry services have been expanded to include an additional 14 rides for each Saturday and Sunday. Last year, 24,000 passengers rode the ferry the weekend of Fleet Week -- that's more than double the average on any given weekday, according to data from the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.

SCHEDULE: San Francisco Fleet Week 2018

For those coming from the Peninsula on Cal Train, you can expect delays. Starting on Saturday, the agency is suspending weekend services into San Francisco from the Bayshore Station to update the tracks.

"We are providing a bus bridge, so we do want to make sure that people who normally make this commute can still get connected," said Dan Lieberman, public information officer with Cal Train. "It should take about an extra 10 minutes to get to 22nd Station and about an extra 20 minutes to get to 4th and King."

Those trains are expected to be busier than normal because of the weekend events.

BART will also be running more trains to accommodate the larger crowds.

If you're participating in Fleet Week events and want to receive emergency alert messages, text FleetWeek SF to 888-777.