Western Civilization in the Age of Pro Football

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Don't plan on riding San Francisco's cable cars downtown or the historic F-Market streetcars Sunday afternoon during the 49ers' playoff game or into the night. And don't expect the city's electric trolley buses to show up at all on game day.

That's because Muni wants to protect its historic cable cars and streetcars from overzealous fans, vandals and other troublemakers who might get a bit too rowdy after the Niners win - or lose - in Seattle. It also wants to protect revelers from hurting themselves.

The transit system will use buses on the cable car and some rail lines - plus part of the N-Judah streetcar line - for at least the latter part of the game and through the night, said Paul Rose, a Municipal Transportation Agency spokesman.

Muni will stop service on the California cable car line at 2 p.m. with the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable cars running only between Fisherman's Wharf and Chinatown beginning at 4 p.m.

Buses will substitute for cable cars between Washington and Powell streets, and on the entirety of the California line. The historic streetcars that usually run on Market Street and the Embarcadero on the F-Market line will be replaced by buses Sunday. Beginning at 5 p.m., they will be rerouted to Mission Street from Market Street, stopping at all marked stops before returning to the transit lanes on the Embarcadero.