The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will have a new view of how traffic is flowing, but that's raising privacy concerns with groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union.
Muni is done installing 25 cameras on Market Street, from the Embarcadero to Castro Street. The transit agency says the cameras are not Super Bowl-related, don't record and will be used to monitor traffic situations.
But, in a statement, the ACLU says, "The risk here, as with so many other surveillance technologies, is that the cameras will remain up after the Super Bowl is long over, and will be used for purposes beyond just traffic control."
Others have raised concerns about the cameras' ability to pan, tilt and zoom, very much like a security camera.
Despite privacy concerns, Muni says the cameras are here to stay.
The Super Bowl will take place on Feb. 7 about 40 miles south of San Francisco. But the run up to the game includes more than a week of events in the city.
Super Bowl 50 events are coming to downtown SF. Traffic detours from Jan 23 to Feb 11: https://t.co/BDvZZaA2Ef #SB50 pic.twitter.com/45HKAi2x8S
— SFMTA (@sfmta_muni) January 11, 2016Part of one of the city's most heavily traveled crosstown routes, the southbound Embarcadero, will be shut down from Jan. 23 to Feb. 12. The area will play host to Super Bowl City, a giant theme park, food court and concert venue, starting Jan. 30.
Elsewhere in the city, the Moscone Center will host NFL Experience featuring Super Bowl rings and youth football clinics.
City officials are suspending parking permits for several construction sites downtown and also banning metered parking on some streets.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
