Mayor Lurie: No way to Uber, Lyft, and Waymo on car-free Market Street
The photo above is from a celebratory walk we held on January 29, 2020, when private vehicles were banned from over two miles of Market Street.
Before this decades-in-the-making win for safe streets, Market Street was a chaotic and dangerous space for everyone – and especially pedestrians. Five of the city’s top ten deadliest intersections were on Market Street at the time.
With the removal of private vehicles, Market Street became a street that prioritized people walking, biking, and taking transit – as our city’s iconic thoroughfare should. And the benefits are apparent today, improving Muni travel times by up to 14% and reducing traffic collisions by 40%.
But today, Mayor Lurie announced that Uber and Lyft will be allowed on Market Street starting on August 26, along with Waymo autonomous vehicles (which Lurie announced back in April).
This is incredibly disappointing. This decision by Mayor Lurie continues to widen the door to bringing back all private vehicles to Market Street, which would be a massive step backwards for safety and Muni service.
That’s why Walk SF is part of the Keep Market Street Moving Alliance, which issued a letter to Mayor Lurie this morning urging him to reconsider – and instead find other creative solutions to revitalize this part of our city. Foot traffic, not vehicle traffic, is the key.
If you share our desire to keep Market Street car-free, we urge you to:
- Email Mayor Lurie now
- Join us at the protest on Tuesday, August 26 at 5PM
- Take photos or videos of any traffic safety issues you witness on Market Street and submit these to 311 and email them to MarketStreet@sfmta.com. You can also submit specific complaints about autonomous vehicles here.
The cities leading the world have embraced car-free spaces and centered people in designing their downtowns, not automobiles. San Francisco should do the same for a safer, more sustainable, and equitable future.
Banner Image: Kristen Gerencher
