The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's Board of Directors will vote on Tuesday on the city's Better Market Street Project, which would prohibit most vehicles from driving on Market Street in the city's downtown area.
According to the plan, the more than 2-mile stretch of Market Street from 10th Street to Steuart Street would only be used by buses, taxis, bicycles, and commercial vehicles, as well as emergency vehicles like police cars and fire trucks.
The plan would also make room for commercial loading zones along Market Street and place peak-hour loading restrictions to reduce interactions between bikes and commercial and transit vehicles.
Additionally, the Better Market Street plan would create a bus-only lane as well as a separate taxi-only lane. Safety improvements for pedestrians and bicycles would also be included.
Although all private vehicles would be prohibited from turning onto or using Market Street, all traffic would still be able to cross Market Street at most intersections.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will hold a rally outside of San Francisco City Hall on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m., just before the SFTMA's board meeting. Afterward, coalition members are expected to show up to the 1 p.m. meeting to show their support for the project.
If approved, the project would be rolled out in several phases, with the first phase, featuring quick-build enhancements, private vehicle restrictions and Muni-only lane extensions, starting as early as the beginning of 2020.
