The pictures of the famous sign, "Prepare to Meet Thy Maker," are everywhere, but I've never been able to find a citation for the actual grade of the hill. A Flickr user has a contemporary photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldwidewandering/407360280/) of the original hill, and it doesn't look all that impossible to me, certainly no worse than much of San Francisco. An older photo, (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qy03eKedjSU/S-g3w2gK8pI/AAAAAAAAAO4/WOdFX8DFR_U/s1600/hill.JPG) however, seems much steeper.
Was it really the steepest grade on the original highway? And if so, how steep?
The contemporary photo you mentioned, is not in fact Suicide Hill. To the best of my knowledge, it was the steepest grade on the original highway at 32%. Even the 'new and improved' hill, which hasn't been used in years, is a formidable climb.
Does anyone have a pic of the "Prepare to Meet Thy Maker" sign? I just googled it but nothing came up...