After New York, San Francisco Bans Cars on Iconic Market Street
The move is part of a broader shift in urban design and transportation to transform congested streets into safer, more vibrant spaces.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
San Francisco today joins a growing number of cities across the globe that are going, at least partially, car free. Passenger cars and ride-hailing services will be indefinitely prohibited from traveling on portions of Market Street, the major thoroughfare in the city’s Financial District, though they’ll still be able to cross it. Reducing private vehicle traffic is a first step in a much broader $600 million “Better Market Street” plan put forth by the city to revitalize downtown San Francisco with faster buses, safer bike lanes, repaved sidewalks and new trees.
“If you walk or bike on Market Street, you’ll have less conflicts,” said Cristina Olea, an engineer with San Francisco Public Works and the project manager for Better Market Street. “A lot of collisions happen when cars are turning, and we’re eliminating that congestion.”