Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

On San Fran’s Market Street Bikes Outnumber Cars for a Day

Gavin_Newsom.jpg

From the San Francisco Chronicle via Carfree USA:

For the first time ever, at the height of the morning rush hour there were more bicycles than cars heading downtown on Market Street in San Francisco, officials said.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, in a black track suit, survived the ruts on Valencia Street on his loaner mountain bike and made it to City Hall, where he was joined by a half dozen supervisors on bikes.

"You should see the potholes in this town,'' the mayor said.

Newsom seized the day to unveil the city's new cycling strategy, a 10-point plan now being held up pending an environmental review.

"Turnout was huge,'' said Leah Shahum, executive director of the bicycle coalition. "We gave away 3,000 canvas bags and we're down to our final bunch of bananas.''

Photo: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Leah Shahum of the SF Bike Coalition, by Drew Rogers via Flickr 

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Streetsblog’s ‘Car-Free Carolers’ Bring the Joy, Mirth and Ho-Ho-Hope to this Holiday Season

Streetsblog's singers are back, belting out their parody classics to make a serious point: New York's roadways don't have to be dangerous places for kids and lungs, but can be joyous spaces for people to walk around, shop, eat or just ... hang out.

December 18, 2025

At Last: Council To Pass Delivery Worker Deactivation Protections

At its final full meeting, the Council is poised to deliver protections to delivery workers.

December 18, 2025

Serious Traffic Injuries Went Up This Summer Under Adams, Bucking a Trend

The city recorded a 5-percent increase in serious injuries in the most-recent quarter, though overall injuries are down.

December 18, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: The Parks Mayor Edition

A coalition of greenspace-loving groups is demanding that Zohran Mamdani make good on his promise to raise the Parks Department's budget. Plus other news.

December 18, 2025

Mamdani Vows To Appeal Ruling that Killed DOT’s Astoria Bike Lane

The city has yet to appeal the nearly two-week-old ruling — but a new mayor says he'll change that pronto.

December 17, 2025

OPINION: I Led the Campaign To Get Cars Out Of Central Park, But I Strongly Oppose an E-Bike Ban

People now calling for a ban on e-bikes seem to forget what the park was like before cars were banned. It was way worse.

December 17, 2025
See all posts