City leaders held a meeting Monday on the status of Market Street following Lurie's decision to give Waymo, Uber, and Lyft access to the restricted thoroughfare. They found an uptick in illegal private drivers and very few authorized ride-hailing cars.

Local leaders say ride-hailing traffic on Market Street remains relatively low, averaging about 10 vehicles per hour, since SF Mayor Daniel Lurie gave Uber and Lyft access in December, as SFGate reports. The decision also appears to be creating confusion among private drivers, according to a status update presented Monday to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee.

As SFist reported last year, Lurie first moved to allow Waymo access to restricted sections of Market Street shortly after taking office, reversing a six-year policy that barred private cars from the thoroughfare. The decision sparked backlash from transit advocates and competing ride-hailing companies, with Uber later threatening to sue before Lurie expanded access to Uber and Lyft luxury vehicles as well.

Uber Black is the only service actively using the new Market Street access, though Lyft Black has recently begun piloting a limited number of pickups and drop-offs, per SFGate. Waymo is not currently using the corridor for passenger loading, despite being the focus of the original plan.

Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina told SFGate the company has avoided direct pickups and drop-offs on Market Street because the designated areas would require vehicles to double park, potentially blocking transit. “Unlike human drivers, we make significant efforts to park appropriately during pick up and drop off,” Ilina said.

Some leaders say the policy change appears to be encouraging more unauthorized drivers to enter the restricted thoroughfare, as they’ve seen an increase in unauthorized private vehicles entering the formerly car-free corridor.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar said during Monday’s hearing that she’s noticed a visible increase in private vehicles while biking along Market Street. “It’s almost like it was carte blanche for people to say, ‘I can do this because Mayor Lurie said it’s OK,’” Melgar said.

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition executive director Christopher White raised similar concerns, telling SFGate the new exemptions have contributed to illegal vehicle activity and blocked loading zones. White also questioned whether the city’s reported figures account only for pickups and drop-offs or include through traffic unrelated to Market Street businesses.

Lurie said the decision was a way to improve access to downtown businesses and hotels, but critics argue that although business along Market Street has improved, it’s likely unrelated to the policy change.

Previously: Lurie Announces Market Street to Open Up to Waymos

Image: Andreas Praefcke/Wikimedia