Market Street with cars on it. Photo by Alfonso Jimenez via Wikimedia Commons.
According to information from SF’s police, transportation agency, and health department, during the period from 2005 to 2022, there were a total of 636 traffic accidents at intersections along Market Street.
In October 2019, the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, also known as Muni, unanimously voted to ban private vehicles from Market Street between 10th and Steuart Streets. The decision was supported by then-Mayor London Breed, bicycle coalitions, and transit advocates for the benefit of safety and making commutes more efficient, and the policy went into effect on 29 January 2020.
However, by April 2025, Mayor Daniel Lurie allowed an exception for driverless Waymo automobiles.
“Market Street runs through the heart of our city, and we’re making sure it continues to evolve with the times,” he remarked at the time. “By welcoming Waymo, we’re adding another safe and sustainable way to access shopping, theaters, hotels, and restaurants. This is about revitalizing downtown and making it easier for everyone, locals and visitors alike, to enjoy everything our city has to offer.”
Unfortunately, this particular decision rankled both officials at Muni and pedestrian safety advocacy groups. Ride-hailing company Uber also threatened a lawsuit to gain access to Market Street and were ultimately given consent.
Market Street without cars. Photo by James Conrad.
However, Waymo has shown no interest in taking up Mayor Lurie on his offer, as they don't want to be responsible for clogging Market Street with traffic. In an email to SFGate.com, Julia Ilina, a spokesperson for Waymo explains, “Unlike human drivers, we make significant efforts to park appropriately during pick up and drop off. The pickup and drop-off options currently available on Market would require double parking, potentially impeding transit.”
Meanwhile, other ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft have decided to conduct business with luxury clients on Market Street. So far, about ten of these types of vehicles have shown up on Market Street. As KRON4 reports, this is leading to confusion over who can drive on SF’s Market Street. As a result, some private civilian drivers have decided that they have just as much a right to navigate San Francisco's most famous main drag.
“I ride Market Street on the daily on my bike,” said District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melga, speaking to SFGate.com. “What I have seen is a marked uptick of people in private vehicles after [Lurie let the ride-hailing companies return to Market]. It’s almost like it was carte blanche for people to say, ‘I can do this because Mayor Lurie said it’s OK.’”
In a blog post for Streetsblog S.F., Roger Rudick characterized the decision to allow Waymo, Uber and Lyft to operate on Market Street as “yet another betrayal of the city's Vision Zero and Transit First commitments.”
“Data clearly shows that Market Street with cars is more dangerous for people who walk, bike, ride scooters, take transit, and even drive,” Rudick writes. “Crashes on Market, once the most dangerous street in San Francisco, fell by 40% after cars were removed. This plan will also undermine years of progress toward a more efficient transit system and slow down Muni, which has seen a remarkable 14% increase in speed and efficiency on Market since the removal of cars.”
