Market Street will strictly limit vehicles, despite Uber outcry

FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2013 file photo, a Lyft car drives crosses Market Street in San Francisco. California prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against Uber over the ridesharing company's background checks and other allegations, adding to the popular startup's worldwide legal woes. Meanwhile, San Francisco County District Attorney George Gascon said Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2014, that Uber competitor Lyft has agreed to pay $500,000 and change some of its business practices to settle its own lawsuit. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) less FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2013 file photo, a Lyft car drives crosses Market Street in San Francisco. California prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against Uber over the ridesharing company's background checks and ... more Photo: Jeff Chiu, File Photo Photo: Jeff Chiu, File Photo Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close Market Street will strictly limit vehicles, despite Uber outcry 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

Uber may be on a roll, but the online ride-service powerhouse failed Tuesday to block a plan that will steer most cars — including its vehicles— off of Market Street beginning in August.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors unanimously approved a series of simple changes designed to reduce the number of collisions and speed transit travel on the city’s busy main boulevard.

Under the plan, called Safer Market Street, drivers will be unable to turn onto Market Street between Eighth and Third streets. It would also extend the red-painted transit-only lanes from Eighth to Third streets, and install eight white passenger loading zones, four parking spaces for the disabled and a new yellow commercial loading zone on side streets.

The goal is to tame the stream of buses, streetcars, delivery trucks, taxis and ride services, and private cars that make Market one of the city’s most dangerous streets. The stretch includes four of the city’s top 20 intersections for pedestrian injury collisions and the top two intersections for bicycle injury collisions.

“The only way to drastically reduce the number of collisions is to drastically reduce the number of vehicles,” said Tom Maguire, the agency’s director of Sustainable Streets. “That’s the purpose of this project. It is not about taxi regulations. It is not about Uber.”

Uber officials objected to the plan because it would allow taxis on Market Street — and in the transit-only lanes — while ride services such as Uber and Lyft would have to abide by the turning restrictions like all other private vehicles.

“If eliminating right turns is making Market Street safer, then all vehicles should be banned from making right turns,” said Wayne Ting, Uber’s San Francisco general manager, who alleged taxis were being given preferential treatment.

Nearly three hours of public comments — almost all of them in support of the plan — preceded the board’s unanimous vote. Supporters of transit, bicycling and walking all spoke up for the plan, saying it would make Market Street safer. Taxi drivers, eager for a leg up on the ride services, also cheered the plan, and jeered Uber.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan