PRESS RELEASE: Mayor Lurie will undermine Muni service and public safety by allowing Uber and Lyft on Market Street

The Keep Market Street Moving Alliance, a coalition of diverse nonprofits and businesses united in defense of car-free Market Street, roundly decried Mayor Lurie’s decision to allow Uber and Lyft commercial vehicles to operate on Market Street, in addition to Waymos as announced in April, beginning August 26. The decision directly contravenes the SFMTA Board’s decision in 2019 to remove cars from Market Street in order to decrease traffic congestion, improve transit speed and reliability, increase safety, and create a more welcoming and sustainable downtown.

Data clearly shows that Market Street with cars is more dangerous for people who walk, bike, ride scooters, take transit, and even drive. 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. 

Before the mayor’s plan has even begun, it has already increased chaos and danger on Market, creating a permission structure for people in any kind of car to drive on the corridor. Indeed, the visible increase in cars since the April announcement of this policy is startling. Allowing Uber, Lyft, and Waymo vehicles on the street encourages people to blatantly break the law, endangering the lives of people walking, riding bikes and scooters, and taking public transit. The visible distinction between permitted vehicles and private cars is negligible, presenting an enormous challenge to enforcement.

“This vital conduit to downtown works for people who bike and roll precisely because Market Street is car free — an outcome of decades of organizing and community collaboration. East of 8th Street, Market doesn’t have separated infrastructure for biking and rolling,” said Christopher White, executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “The Mayor’s action inevitably puts people biking and rolling in conflict with cars, with dangerous, maybe catastrophic, results.”

“We haven’t forgotten what Market Street was like with private vehicles: very chaotic and dangerous for pedestrians,” said Marta Lindsey, communications director for Walk San Francisco. “We can’t go back to our city’s most iconic street being one of its most dangerous.”

“The mayor’s escalation of his plan to add even more cars to Market Street while cutting Muni service will hurt public transit riders and downtown recovery alike,” said Dylan Fabris, community and policy manager at San Francisco Transit Riders. “If the mayor wants to be taken seriously on his commitment to help Muni’s – and San Francisco’s – recovery, he should be looking for ways to get cars out of the way of transit rather than inviting luxury chauffeurs into the heart of our city’s transit network.”

“Bringing cars back to Market Street won’t solve downtown’s problems, but it will make Muni slower for transit riders and the street less safe for everyone who walks and bikes,” said Robin Pam, executive director of Streets For All San Francisco. “Market Street could be San Francisco’s grand boulevard again, but to get there we have to look to the future for solutions, not the past.”

“Over the years, there have been so many cyclist injuries and fatalities due to people driving carelessly on Market Street. The mayor likely has no knowledge of the lives lost over the decades and why Market Street became car-free in the first place,” said Paul Valdez, main organizer of Ride of Silence San Francisco. “Any future cyclist injuries or deaths will be on his hands.” 

“The implementation of car-free Market Street over five years ago opened the door to more efficient public transit, safer routes for bicyclists, pedestrians and scooter riders as well as easier access for taxis to serve seniors and their passengers with disabilities,” said Barry Taranto, executive board member of SF Taxi Workers Alliance. “Continued lax enforcement of the vehicles that currently occupy the designated ‘loading bays’ will hinder access and delay prompt taxi service for the office buildings and performance venues along Market Street.

“Mayor Lurie continues to surrender San Francisco’s public infrastructure to corporations.” said the Democratic Socialists America, San Francisco. “Now, not only will faulty Waymos slow down the remaining Muni buses and streetcars, Uber and Lyft will also be allowed to privilege the polluting transportation of the wealthy over safe and efficient public transit for working San Franciscans.”
Residents are encouraged to share videos and photos of dangerous driving behavior on Market Street by filing a 311 report or emailing MarketStreet@sfmta.com. For more information, historical context and data about car-free Market Street, please refer to our website.

Media contacts:

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition: Krissa Cavouras, krissa@sfbike.org, 415-234-3447
Walk SF: Marta Lindsey, marta@walksf.org
SF Transit Riders: Reanne Lacosta, reanne@sftransitriders.org
Streets For All SF: Robin Pam, robin@streetsforall.org
Community Streets: Trish Gump, trish@communitystreetssf.org
SF Taxi Workers Alliance: Barry Taranto, barryto@pacbell.net

Welcome Shariff, Our new Community Engagement Coordinator!

We recently welcomed Shariff Wynn to our team, where she’ll be working as a Community Engagement Coordinator on our advocacy team, working in Districts 5 and 10. Get to know Shariff!

Tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to working at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. 

I’ve lived in San Francisco for 12 years, and started biking when I was 5 years old. As someone who rides a bike and uses public transportation as my main source of travel, I’ve always had a passion for equality, justice, and building communities. There are many underserved communities that I want to be able to make a difference in communities that are neglected  in biking and public transit. Not only to have safe streets, but to improve the quality of life.

How are bikes and biking a part of your life in San Francisco?

Biking is a big part of how I get around and exercise. I like to challenge myself with endurance, and I also like to save money. There was a point in time where  I was fearful of biking in my neighborhood due to the lack of bike paths, and speedy vehicles. I have now faced that fear and challenged myself to be more cautious, and patient on the road. One of the areas of the city I like to ride is along the Embarcadero.For me it’s one of the safest areas I feel comfortable with. 

What are you most excited for in this role?

I am most excited about working with different community organizations, learning more about the advocacy work SFBike, and working with a new group of people. I also am excited about building bridges within different communities, and advocating for more bike lanes and safer structures. I want to be able to make a difference in communities that are underserved, in biking and public transit. Not only to have  safer streets, but to improve the quality of life.

Describe your ideal day off in the city.

My day off in the city would consist of taking a ferry anywhere in the Bay. Going for a run, and sitting on someone’s patio soaking in the sun. And if there is a concert or festival, you most likely will see me in the crowd.

SRTS Community Highlight: Kevine from Lincoln High School

As San Francisco is gearing up for going back to school next week, we wanted to highlight the perspective of a student at Lincoln High School, Kevine,an incoming senior who has participated in the Safe Routes to School programs and is passionate about alternative transportation. 

Kevine is also a member of Lincoln’s Green Academy, a Career Technical Education program that helps students learn about green careers and practices that combat environmental issues. Though, greener transportation has been on her mind since early childhood. “Ever since I was in elementary school, I vividly remember the Safe Routes to School banner posted on the school’s main entrance, events pushing everyone to walk, bike, roll to school as a reminder to strive for these options rather than using a car. 

Taking public transportation has been one of the main ways the Green Academy gets around for their outings, “like the Potrero Division Trolleybus Yard, where we were able to take a deep inspection into the work done on Muni buses and the people that care for them. Also, visiting Cal Academy of Sciences, or even simply to the 16th Avenue Tile Steps would not have been possible if not for Muni buses, trains, and walking.”

Not only has embracing public transportation been personally beneficial to Kevine, but she also reflects on the way it affects the world around her.  “I always try my best to consider public transportation as an option wherever I explore next because it has enabled me the freedom to travel and experience the endless possibilities that San Francisco has to offer. Through the many lives of people I see on Muni every day, I realize just how public transport impacts the quality of life for the better and how these transportation options are some of the many ways we can fight climate injustices while building a community.”

As we’re entering a new school year, our team is excited to empower more students and families to make sustainable transportation choices when traveling to and from school, and everywhere in between! If you are interested in having a bike workshop or other Safe Routes to School activity at your school to get more people biking, walking or taking public transit, please reach out to Natti Tilahun at ntilahun@sfbike.org


To stay updated on events and programs throughout the school year sign up for the San Francisco Safe Routes Newsletter here!

Member bike ride with SPUR and the future of Sunset Dunes

Last Friday we hosted a joint member ride with our partners at SPUR to celebrate the new Sunset Dunes park. We got to connect with other people passionate about transportation while enjoying some of the beautiful car-free spaces that we helped make possible. 

“Partnering with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for a ride over the Sunset Dunes was a natural fit for SPUR—especially as we celebrate the passing of Prop K, a major win for sustainable transportation and safer streets,” shared Suzanne Cox-Santos, SPUR’s Director of Engagement. “The ride was a fun way to bring people together, build community, and envision a more connected city.”

On the ride, we got to witness the installation of the Naga, a giant metal sculpture of the legendary Southeast Asian sea serpent on the JFK Promenade. It was also fun to explore the art SF Recreation and Park installed at Sunset Dunes. We saw first-hand the possibility for art and community that car-free spaces open up. 

Looking to the future of Sunset Dunes, SF Rec and Parks just launched their public outreach process to determine the long-term future of our newest park. Your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition participated in their first outreach event, a pop-up open house at Sunset Dunes on July 19. 

There will be another open house on September 27 that we encourage everyone to attend, followed by more community meetings in early and mid 2026. There is also a survey that you can take right now to share your feedback on the interim improvements and your vision for the future of our Pacific coast. The survey will ask about your visiting habits and what sort of amenities you’d like to see.

Sunset Dunes is the largest pedestrianization project in California history! Help shape the future of Sunset Dunes:

Take the survey

 

Connecting Biking and Wellness: SFBike’s work at Hoover Middle School

“It’s hard to imagine that this was once a highway!”

Earlier this spring, a group of students from Hoover Middle School stood on a stretch of San Francisco’s coastline that once carried four lanes of traffic. Now, it’s a car-free park, and the final stop on a year-long journey that redefined what therapy, learning, and movement could look like.

Over the past school year, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s Bike It Forward program partnered with Hoover’s school psychology team to pilot a therapeutic biking program for a small group of middle school students. Partially supported by the Outride Fund, the program paired weekly counseling sessions with monthly bike skills lessons, backed by a fleet of refurbished bikes and staff to maintain them. The goals were ambitious and deeply personal: increase physical activity, support mental wellness, and help students explore the connection between movement and emotional health.

Reaching Sunset Dunes, our newest car-free park formerly known as the Great Highway, was more than just a final ride. Many students started the year with little or no biking experience. By April, they completed a 8+ mile ride across the city. Once at the park, the rules and stress of the road melted away—replaced by laughter, free exploration, and friendly races. Some students hit the pump track with growing confidence. Others checked out dunes, sculptures, and hammocks.

We were joined by Rachel Clyde, our Westside Community Organizer, who explained the years-long fight to convert the highway into a public park,a concept the students found hard to grasp. “Why would you want this to be a road?” one asked. “Isn’t there already a big road right there?” said another.These weren’t just moments of joy, they were signs of meaningful growth: in resilience, regulation, and the ability to connect with the world around them.

The Hoover project was years in the making. Like the transformation of the Great Highway, it took sustained advocacy, deep partnership, and persistent vision to bring to life—and it worked. While full outcomes will be shared this fall, early indicators are promising. Teachers and parents have reported fewer outbursts, better focus, and rising confidence from the students involved. 

Programs like this don’t happen without groundwork. It took three years to bring therapeutic cycling sessions to life. And it only works when young people have safe, welcoming places to ride. Support the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition today to power both our direct programming, like Bike It Forward, and our citywide advocacy for safe, joyful public spaces. Every young person deserves the chance to ride, to grow, and to arrive somewhere they never imagined possible.

Support Our Work

Garden ride builds community and love for plants

When I started at SFBike last year, I wanted to find a way to share my favorite community-powered gardens with my new SFBike community – just a couple of weeks ago, we hosted a community garden bike ride. 

A group of 15 of us met at Garden for the Environment and began with a staff-led tour of the garden. We got to touch hot compost, taste California Saltbush, and feel fuzzy lamb’s ear. We then biked up and over the hill, past Laguna Honda and through the tree-lined streets of Saint Francis Wood, and by the flowered front yards in the Excelsior The ride ended at Alemany Farm to learn about their plants and community programs, and just in time for their Saturday afternoon volunteer shift.

One participant shared how meaningful the ride felt to them: “Your ride made a huge impression on my son. He has been talking about the farm and garden all day. He loved smelling and trying the different plants. We will be looking for goose berries to plant and we will definitely go back to the farm in the future.”

Public gardens like Alemany Farm and Garden for the Environment support more liveable cities by creating opportunities for community connection, garden education, and gardens that make moving through the city a little more special. This ride was so special because it introduced people to these unique public green spaces for the first time, but hopefully not the last. It was also a great example of how our group bike rides serve as a conduit for building connection within our own SFBike community and beyond, as participants met new friends and shared stories, all in our beautiful local environment. Thank you everyone for joining.

If you’re interested in joining us for upcoming rides like this, check out our events page as new rides get added throughout this summer! 

Our statement on the crash at Divisadero and Fell

Update: Since publishing this news, we have seen unconfirmed eyewitness social media photos and videos that indicate the device being ridden was likely an e-moped, not an e-bike as stated by SFPD in their fatality report. We’ve updated our post below to reflect this new information. The type of device being ridden in this instance does not change our position on the heartbreaking outcome of the crash, nor our sympathy to the victim who lost their life – the person riding the e-moped. We know that traffic deaths are preventable when we hold city and state leaders accountable for better infrastructure, stronger regulation and widespread education.

However, incorrectly identifying the device involved in this crash as an e-bike perpetuates a narrative that Class 1, 2 and 3 e-bikes, which are legally allowed in the bike lane and have pedal-assisted top speeds  of 20 or 28mph, are dangerous. This misconception can lead to cities unfairly targeting and criminalizing people riding legal e-bikes instead of working toward solutions that make everyone safer. 

We’ll be publishing a blog post in the coming weeks that goes into more detail on the distinction that already exists between e-bikes and electric mopeds, and explains our stance on the need for better regulatory enforcement that would keep everyone safe.


We are heartbroken to share that a person riding an e-moped succumbed to their injuries yesterday afternoon after colliding with two pedestrians at Divisadero and Fell on Monday, July 21. Though their identity is not yet known, our hearts are with their family and friends today.

SFPD’s initial report indicates that the person riding was traveling northbound on Divisadero with the green light when two pedestrians crossing westbound on Fell against a red light walked in front of the person riding and all three collided. Per SFPD’s report, the person who had been riding succumbed to their injuries on Friday.  

As we seek out more information, we are saddened and angry – no one should lose their lives on our streets – and we will continue to press state-level legislators to work towards safety-oriented solutions to better regulate the sale of, and education around, e-mopeds. This is the 18th traffic fatality in the city this year. 

Members give input on big projects to SFCTA

Last week we hosted two member meetings with staff from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) to discuss medium- and long-term planning projects. We want to be sure that our members’ voices are included in the outreach process from the beginning, showing strong public support for sustainable transportation options. 

The first meeting was focused on the San Francisco Transportation Plan (SFTP+), a plan that determines large projects and investments in transportation for the next 30 years and is updated every few years. 

SFCTA staff are looking for feedback on what are the big transportation projects residents want and need most. Our members expressed their desire to see more complete streets, traffic calming, bike share expansion, accessible biking programs, connecting the Bay Bridge for bikes, neighborhood-level muni service, and making transit faster and more reliable via bus lanes. There was also a lively discussion about congestion pricing, enforcement of dangerous driving behaviors, and charging people more for driving in SF to fund public transit and safe streets projects. 

This aligns with the work we’re doing right now with the Muni Now Muni Forever coalition to find solutions to SFMTA’s fiscal cliff. We’re working to not only find funding for the current gap, but ensure that Muni has sustainable and stable funding sources for the foreseeable future. We know that this is a major priority for our members.

The second meeting was focused on the Westside Network Study which looks at the unique transportation needs on SF’s westside and will propose several medium-term projects to better serve the community’s needs. 

The SFCTA is in the first round of outreach and is looking for suggestions for projects. Our westside members shared their desire for safe school zones, secure all-day bike parking at transit hubs, secure neighborhood bike parking for cargo bikes, more East-West bike connections, strong North-South bike connections between the Richmond and Sunset, improving bus reliability with bus lanes, and hardened infrastructure in daylighting. We were gratified to see our members being passionate about projects that will reduce vehicle miles traveled and car dependency on the westside while providing an easy transition to sustainable forms of transportation.

We are so thankful to our members who showed up and shared very thoughtful feedback and ideas. These meetings are incredibly important for County staff to hear what projects the biking community in SF want to see as they plan five-, ten-, twenty-plus years into the future. 

Didn’t get a chance to attend the meetings? Take this SFTP survey to provide input. 

Sign me up for updates!

 

Our opposition to citywide RV ban

Last month, Mayor Daniel Lurie introduced legislation that bans oversized vehicles from parking on all city streets for more than 2 hours at a time, essentially creating a citywide ban on oversized vehicles.

As a member of the End Poverty Tows Coalition, we are alarmed and concerned about this policy. This legislation directly targets the hundreds of families and individuals who are experiencing vehicular homelessness in San Francisco, without providing adequate support. One of the justifications given for this policy is in the name of improving street safety, however we know that it will not have a favorable impact and will likely create more obstacles to street safety projects. 

On July 15, the Board of Supervisors voted to pass the Mayor’s legislation with only two votes against it from Supervisors Walton and Fielder. We are extremely disappointed in this vote.

We submitted letters of opposition in solidarity with the End Poverty Tows Coalition to the SFMTA Board of Directors, the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee, and the full Board of Supervisors. Read our letter of opposition below or see the letter in pdf format.


July 15, 2025

Board of Supervisors
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
Room 250, City Hall
San Francisco, CA 94102

RE: Opposition to agenda item 40 – Large and Commercial Vehicle Parking Restrictions, Citywide RV Ban

Dear President Mandelman and Supervisors, 

Mayor Daniel Lurie’s legislation to restrict oversized vehicle parking on all city streets for more than two hours, essentially creating a citywide ban on vehicles being used as housing, is deeply concerning to us at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. It goes against our core value of transportation justice and perpetuates a destructive approach to an already marginalized community.

This plan focuses on an enforcement-first approach rather than providing the proper resources that every San Franciscan should expect of their city government. Enforcement-first policies target and over penalize marginalized communities and don’t resolve the root of the problem. If this plan gets implemented as is, it will result in towing and displacement, leading to more people living on the streets. It will not result in safer streets.

In our work with the End Poverty Tows Coalition, we saw firsthand how the City’s inability to address vehicular homelessness impacts street safety projects. The southbound lane between Middlefield Dr and Brotherhood Way in the Lake Merced Blvd Quick-Build remains incomplete because a safe relocation site has not been identified for people living in their vehicles – an effort since abandoned. Only a few of the RV residents around Lake Merced received help from the City, most of them scattered across SF and remain unsettled.

If our city leaders continue to put forward bad faith solutions that don’t resolve the root cause, we will continue to face roadblocks to street safety and transportation projects. An RV ban won’t resolve these problems and may in fact exacerbate them. We need real efforts to provide secure and long-term housing that help people get off the streets permanently, and more funding for programs that prevent people from becoming unhoused. That’s how the City can make our streets safer, not criminalizing poverty through mass displacement. 

As transportation advocates, we stand against inadequate policies that create instability and perpetuate harm in the name of safe streets. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition urges the Board of Supervisors to oppose the citywide 2-hour parking restrictions for oversized vehicles. 

Respectfully,
Rachel Clyde
Westside Community Organizer
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

PRESS RELEASE: Pedestrian killed at intersection of Market and 6th street

CORRECTION: SFPD has updated the information they previously shared regarding the fatality on Market street last Friday; SFPD and Lime now both confirm that the person was not riding a Lime electric scooter. We’ve updated our press release below to reflect this new information.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition was devastated to hear of another pedestrian fatality here in San Francisco, the ninth this year. According to SFPD, a 77-year-old pedestrian was crossing Market street at 6th street last Friday afternoon, July 18, when someone riding an electric scooter collided with him; the pedestrian was transported to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries. No further information is available at this time.

Our hearts are with his family and friends today. No one should lose their life crossing the street in San Francisco. And yet, we know that pedestrians, and seniors in particular, are our most vulnerable road users. Serious injuries and fatalities in San Francisco stubbornly remain steady; our now-lapsed commitment to Vision Zero and incremental progress in street redesigns intended to reduce speeds and curb reckless driving behavior have proven insufficient to address the epidemic of traffic violence on our streets. 

This tragedy reinforces that there is a hierarchy of road user safety that runs a spectrum between users who can cause the most damage but are least vulnerable — and therefore bear the greatest responsibility for keeping others safe — to those who are most vulnerable and deserve the most caution by others. “Streets are our largest civic space, and we all share responsibility for the safety of others, especially those who are more vulnerable than ourselves,” says Claire Amable, Director of Advocacy for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “That means the most vulnerable road users should be given deference and as much space as possible; pedestrians are more vulnerable than bike and scooter users, and people biking and rolling are more vulnerable than those driving cars.” 

At the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we vocally represent and advocate for everyone biking and rolling in San Francisco, including those who ride scooters. Scooters, scooter share, and bike share can provide a flexible, affordable, sustainable transportation option citywide. 

While it remains unclear whether the scooter rider involved in the crash was on a privately owned or shared scooter, scooter share operators can and should be doing more to fulfill their obligations to provide crucial safety training to their customers. Scooter share provides a gateway for people to get interested in and comfortable riding scooters, often leading to them purchasing their own scooter. This means those companies are in the best position to educate their customer base on how to safely use micromobility devices. 

The scooter companies that have been permitted by SFMTA to operate scooter share here in San Francisco are required by their approved permit to offer educational classes to their customer base at least quarterly, classes which must be designed to address safe scooter riding rules and inform their customers that riding on sidewalks is illegal and may result in account suspension or revocation. 

This incident also reinforces how important it is for the SFMTA to continue to invest in free scooter education. “We know that many people who begin riding scooters for transportation are unfamiliar with the rules of the road and aren’t accustomed to the safety behaviors that keep everyone on our streets safe,” says Amable. “The City’s transportation agency is responsible for providing this important education work, in order to ensure that public knowledge keeps pace with adoption of e-scooters.”