SF’s Market Street Will no Longer be Car-free

San Francisco banned cars on Market Street in 2020. Now, some cars, including autonomous Waymo taxis and Uber and Lyft black cars, are coming back, prompting concerns from transit and safety advocates that any new car traffic will slow buses. 

As Rachel Swan explains in the San Francisco Chronicle, “The companies have agreed to a controlled ‘evaluation’ period, during which they will limit service to off-peak hours, and to designated pick-up and drop-off zones.”

The move is touted by Mayor Dan Lurie as an effort to revitalize the corridor by providing easier access to local businesses. “Though the mayor and other city officials define ride-hails as commercial carriers, and insist that these vehicles should have always been exempt from the ban, opponents of the move fear that adding cars of any kind will cause congestion and slow Muni. Transit and cycling advocates who crusaded for years to push cars off Market have accused the city’s new administration of undercutting their work.”

The mayor’s office predicts allowing ride-hailing in the area will have minimal impact, only adding roughly two vehicles per hour.