FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 4, 2025
CONTACT: Luke Bornheimer, Executive Director, Luke@StreetsForward.org, 617-899-4487 (cell)

Streets Forward Launches Tool and Webpages to Bring Accountability to City’s Dangerous Market Street Car Policy

Tool and webpages allow people to see and submit issues caused by the City’s dangerous policy allowing private cars on Car-Free Market Street to raise awareness of backwards policy

Today, Streets Forward launched a tool for people to report issues caused by the City’s dangerous policy allowing private cars on Car-Free Market Street and two webpages highlighting a small sample of photos and videos of the issues caused by the policy hurting the recovery of Market Street and Downtown and moving San Francisco backwards on economic revitalization, public safety, transportation, and climate change. The pages show only a fraction of the issues caused by allowing private cars on Car-Free Market Street and more issues are occurring constantly. Streets Forward encourages people to take photos and videos of private cars, SUVs, or trucks driving, stopping, or parking on Car-Free Market Street, blocking or delaying Muni vehicles, or driving fast or recklessly—including in the red center-running Transit-Only Lanes, where only Muni vehicles and taxis regulated by the City are permitted. Streets Forward continues to urge Mayor Lurie to reverse course on this dangerous and economically flawed policy that endangers Market Street and Downtown’s recovery, decreases safety for all people, and moves our city backwards.

“With the launch of Streets Forward’s tool and related webpages, we are raising awareness about the mayor’s dangerous and economically flawed policy and bringing accountability—something the mayor campaigned on—to this issue,” said Luke Bornheimer, Executive Director of Streets Forward. “San Franciscans want Market Street and Downtown to recover, there are many proven solutions for moving our city forward to that goal, and Streets Forward is ready to help Mayor Lurie and the City implement, but allowing private cars on Car-Free Market Street is a tried-and-failed policy that moves San Francisco backwards to a more dangerous, noisy, polluted, and economically stunted city.”

Streets Forward encourages Mayor Lurie and the Board of Supervisors to implement data-driven solutions proven to get more people to Market Street and Downtown safely and efficiently as well as revitalize Market Street by making it a place people want to visit and spend time. Streets Forward has a growing list of policy, infrastructure, and programmatic solutions that would help revitalize Market Street and help Downtown recover, notably by helping more people get there safely, faster, and more efficiently and sustainably. These solutions include increasing Muni service to and along Market Street, repaving the street to make it smoother people biking and scooting, lowering the cost of bikeshare for people, installing on-street secure bike storage, and creating bike/scooter parking valet along Market Street and near shops, restaurants, and bars. Streets Forward will have more to share about these solutions soon, and people can get updates by signing up at StreetsForward.org.

“Streets Forward shares Mayor Lurie’s goal of revitalizing Market Street and helping Downtown recover, and we’re excited to work with him and his administration on implementing proven solutions that will move our city forward towards that vision,” Bornheimer said. “In the meantime, Mayor Lurie should reverse course on this dangerous and economically flawed policy that will only hurt our city and its recovery.”

###

Streets Forward is a nonprofit organization making it safer and faster for people to walk, bike, and take public transit in San Francisco. It fulfills its mission through grassroots organizing, public policy research and education, and advocacy for infrastructure improvements and policies that are proven to help people shift trips to walking, biking, and transit, which increases roadway safety, among other benefits. Streets Forward was founded by its Executive Director, Luke Bornheimer, who successfully organized and advocated to make Car-Free JFK Promenade permanent, convert Upper Great Highway into a full-time, oceanfront park (Sunset Dunes), get curbside protected bike lanes installed on Valencia Street, the e-bike incentive fund approved, and a citywide No Turn on Red policy unanimously supported by the Board of Supervisors, among other successes. You can learn more about Streets Forward at StreetsForward.org.