SFO-Bound Ride-Hailing Drivers Jam Millbrae, Burlingame Streets
MILLBRAE (KPIX) -- The mayors of Millbrae and Burlingame called a traffic jam near San Francisco International Airport "unacceptable" in a letter to Uber and Lyft Friday and requested a meeting with the companies to "resolve this issue."
"It's just getting worse and worse they're just hiring more drivers, there's no limit," said Hamid Mohajery who was stuck in the congestion Friday evening.
Millbrae mayor Wayne Les and Burlingame mayor Donna Colson penned the letter to the ride-hailing companies and blamed the traffic congestion along Millbrae Ave. between Highway 101 ramps at Millbrae Ave. and Old Bayshore Highway on a recent relocation of the rideshare staging lots.
Hundreds of rideshare cars make their way to the staging lot near Millbrae Ave. and Old Bayshore Road, causing the intersection to jam up with vehicles from lunchtime into the late evening hours, according to Erik Friedlund, who works nearby.
"People are honking at them and all they do is laugh it off," he said. ""The worst part of it is the inconsiderate people that try to dive bomb into the lanes."
A Westin hotel employee told KPIX the congestion has been impacting business. Hotel guests, he said, have a difficult time getting in and out as fed-up drivers do U-turns in their parking lot to avoid sitting in line. The hotel has posted a sign discouraging drivers from using their lot to make U-turns.
The mayors said in their letter that:
"These impacts cause unacceptable delays to Hwy 101 access ... as well as access to the Millbrae Public Works Corporation Yard, impacting city operations, personal lives and the movement of commercial activities and goods ... In the event of emergency, Millbrae Public Works staff will not be able to respond in a timely fashion."
The relocation of the staging lots at SFO was originally intended to help with congestion at the airport's curbside where Uber and Lyft drivers picked up passengers in the past.
But the traffic jam outside the airport, according to David Stratta who works in Burlingame, has turned into a public safety hazard.
"There was an ambulance the other day took a long time to get through to the crowd of traffic," he said. "They need to come up with a better solution."
A Lyft spokesperson said they welcome the opportunity to meet with the mayors.
KPIX is still waiting for Uber to respond.