48hills – Muni riders, bus drivers, bikers, people who walk beg SFMTA Commission to do its job
Panel allows mayor to open mid-Market to Lyft, Uber, Waymo, defying existing policy—and won’t even vote on it
See original article by Tim Redmond at 48hills
More than a dozen people appeared before the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency Board today to urge the members to do their jobs.
The speakers, including transit, bicycle, and union activists, said that mayor should not have the authority to unilaterally allow Uber, Lyft, and Waymo vehicles on a part of Market Street that the MTA has long closed to private cars.
Director Julie Kirschbaum told the commissioners that the mayor wanted to offer “more transportation options,” for the mid-Market area. She said that the decision was “very deliberate” and that “as new transportation services are added, we don’t want to lose Muni efficiency and safety.”
But speakers noted that having private vehicles on the street would do exactly that: Uber, Lyft, and Waymo often stop right in the middle of the road to pick up passengers when there is no curb space (and there isn’t and won’t be much on mid-Market). That forces Muni buses to stop and wait.
Sue Vaughan, who wrote about this here, said that Lurie “has made this decision to invite private, for-profit transportation services onto Market Street – replacing Muni buses that have been cut due to the budget shortfall – without any planning, public outreach, or environmental review.” Another speaker noted he was allowing “vehicles that have as their goal the extinction of Muni” to take over Market Street.
That’s absolutely true: Uber, at least, has made it clear that it wants to replace public transit as part of its business plan, and data shows that is exactly what is happening.
Mc Allen, a bus driver and union activist, said that “this policy slows down transit, and makes Market Street less safe.”
Marta Lindsey, communications director for Walk SF, said that mid-Market was “chaotic, loud, and dangerous” when private cars were allowed, and that the city saw about two crashes a week in the area, with pedestrians generally taking the brunt.
See original article by Tim Redmond at 48hills
