The car-free stretch of Market Street east of 10th is going to be somewhat less car-free this summer when it starts getting clogged up with confused Waymos.
Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Thursday that the city is going to begin allowing Waymos a privilege that Lyft and Uber drivers don't have: the ability to drive all the way down Market Street to downtown.
"You will see Waymos in the coming days and weeks, mapping Market Street. And by early summer, we expect passengers to be able to get picked up and dropped off, giving more options for people getting downtown to shop, see a show, go see a museum," Lurie said in a morning announcement video. "We're really excited about this development... It's a big day for downtown."
The Mayor's Office also put out a release, saying, "Waymo’s arrival on Market Street will complement the city’s existing transportation options, including Muni, biking, and taxis, and will make it easier for residents, workers, and visitors to access the shops, theaters, hotels, and restaurants that anchor San Francisco’s downtown economy."
This news comes quickly after the news that Waymo is preparing to offer service to and from SFO as well.
ACT's Strand Theater, which opened on Market near Seventh Street just a couple of years before the pandemic struck, has had some trouble attracting patrons they say, especially elderly ones, who dislike the fact that they can't get picked up and dropped off by rideshares or other cars outside the theater — the apps will typically direct the cars to the not-so-terrific alley, Stevenson Street, behind the theater.
"We would love to have Market Street reopen to cars," says Jennifer Bielstein, executive director of ACT, speaking to KRON4. "We hear directly from potential customers that they will not come to the Strand Theater because they cannot be dropped off and picked up in front of the theaters."
This move will of course make the Mid- and downtown sections of Market Street more crowded again, with around 300 Waymos now operating in the city, and that is sure to upset cyclists and Muni bus drivers alike.
Local organization KidSafe SF is voicing their objections already.
"This plan will slow down Muni, add congestion, and undermine years of progress toward a more efficient and reliable transit system and a safer, more accessible Market Street,” says KidSafe SF co-founder Robin Pam in a statement. “With Muni facing service cuts this summer and a $322M deficit next year, San Francisco can’t afford to give up the gains in Muni efficiency we’ve already made."
Also, Dylan Fabris, the community and policy manager at San Francisco Transit Rider, issued a statement saying, "Mayor Lurie’s unilateral decision to give Waymo free rein on Market Street is dangerous, undemocratic, and inequitable. Allowing Waymo exclusive access to Market Street essentially creates a nearly two-mile-long City-sanctioned monopoly for the Google-owned tech company – all while the City is cutting vital Muni service on the same corridor."
The first months of the car-free Market Street program unfortunately coincided with the pandemic, which quickly negated the need for many to get downtown at all, and something that continues to have a substantial impact on businesses there. While keeping passenger vehicles — except for medallioned taxis — off of lower Market Street was solving a congestion problem that existed pre-2019, that long stretch of Market Street often feels desolate these days, except for the spots where car traffic has to cross it on the way to 101 or the Bay Bridge, like at Eighth Street, and at Battery/First.
The city and Waymo say they will "will work collaboratively to maintain safety and accessibility" on Market Street, but there seems a high-probability of secondary effects of bringing robotaxis to the mostly car-free corridor. If nothing else, the robot cars seem likely to get hung up in spots where much of the curb has been given over to a bus stop, and/or in the former gridlock spots where commuters are darting across Market before the lights change.
