The proposal to remake Market Street as an either car-free or car-restricted boulevard has put one big foot forward— the SF Transpo Authority has abandoned the car-free approach, and is looking at car restrictions instead.
To wit, drivers going eastbound on Market would be forced to turn right onto 8th, while drivers going south on Hyde would not be allowed to turn left onto Market.
As a result, car traffic may go down about 30 percent. Traffic on Howard and Folsom would also go up about 10 percent. But what to do to make it all worth the lovely trip down Market for transit users, cyclists, and pedestrians? The city will look at installing new landscaping, street lighting, bike lanes, the works.
And! Al fresco dining at cafes and restaurants. We suspect this whole endeavor may be a little harder between 8th and 5th, so yeah. Godspeed.
