San Francisco Supervisor blames Uber, Lyft for increased gridlock

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you live, work, or visit San Francisco, you know getting around is not easy. The traffic congestion is especially bad in the downtown corridors.

Supervisor Jeff Sheehy held a hearing Monday to examine some of the reasons behind the gridlock.

His conclusion - the ride-hailing services of Uber and Lyft are big contributors.

The County Transportation Authority did a recent snapshot study that found 5,700 Uber and Lyft drivers are taking up space on city streets on a typical day.

The County Treasurer and Tax Collector's office estimates there are 45,000 people who have driven for those two companies at some point in time.

The city is suing to get more accurate information from both companies. Sheehy says he wants the city attorney to consider filing an anti-trust suit against Uber, saying it is devastating the taxi industry and harming public transit.

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce says it is unfair to lay all the blame on the ride services.

Jim Lazarus, the Senior Vice President of Public Policy says the city population has grown, as has the work force, yet there's no place to put more streets. Lazarus says part of the solution is more traffic enforcement.

Click here for a look at live traffic map of the Bay Area and click here to follow Alexis Smith on Twitter for updates.