San Francisco could make its Great Highway pedestrians-only
Matt Simons
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — San Francisco’s most divisive race this election year isn’t about its mayor or the district attorney — it’s about a two-mile stretch of highway on the west side of town.
Voters in the city on Friday are still anxiously awaiting the election results for Proposition K, perhaps the most fought-over item on the city’s ballot this year. If passed, the measure would convert part of the city’s Great Highway into a public open recreation space, permanently closing it to private motor vehicles seven days a week.
At the ballot box, the results are closer than the city’s race for mayor. “Yes” voters currently hold a significant lead of 55% to “No” voters’ 45%, but that could change at any minute. The San Francisco Election Department still has 117,000 ballots left to count.
Supporters say the measure will provide more outdoor recreation space which could one day become a park. Although few details have been provided beyond a handful of concept drawings, the prospect still has proponents excited.
“I think fewer cars is always a better idea,” Phyllis Barba, an avid park-goer and dog-walker told Courthouse News. “I think it’s nicer to have fewer cars on the road for cyclists, people, pedestrians walking to the beach and tourists even.” She added that she didn’t see the harm in creating more public space for city dwellers.
Supporters also claim that the measure isn’t all that radical because the southernmost part of the highway will be closed anyway by 2026 due to of severe soil erosion in the area.
“We will never be able to use the Great Highway again for a direct connection to Daly City and the 280,” said Supervisor Joel Engardio in a campaign video. “We need to focus on how to make lemonade out of this lemon.”
Meanwhile, Proposition K’s opponents fear closing the highway would make transportation more difficult for nearby residents.
“If this road closes, it'll probably add another 20 minutes to my commute, which is already an hour long,” said Nick Waters, who lives close enough that he can surf during his lunch breaks. He told Courthouse News that many people in the city weren’t from the neighborhoods around the closure.
“If you don’t live here, you don’t have to deal with the effects,” he said.
There are also concerns on how the closure would affect traffic in the area.
“Closing this road would permanently push vehicles onto adjacent neighborhood streets, bringing noise, traffic snarls and potential accidents,” Richie Greenberg, who opposed Proposition K, wrote in a statement on his website.
Other voters still think that they should have left the issue alone entirely.
“I thought it was a good compromise, frankly, that it was closed on the weekends and open during the week,” said Joey Edmonson, who lives mere blocks away from the highway in Outer Sunset, in an interview with Courthouse News.
“Now what you've done is created animosity with a bunch of people that were okay with that compromise.”
According to a poll by the San Francisco Chronicle, “yes” voters were more likely to be younger and progressive while “no” voters were more likely to be older and moderate.
Early returns also showed a geographic divide, with precincts on the west side and south side of the city — where residents say they rely heavily on the highway — opposed to the measure and voters on the east side mostly for it.
During the pandemic, the road was shut down in a pilot program for the car-free promenade, allowing people to bike, skateboard, exercise, walk and listen to live music from performers along the highway. Once lockdown restrictions eased, the city agreed to keep it open to cars on weekdays while the area became pedestrians-only on weekends.
Currently, the Great Highway still operates by these rules. Every Friday at noon, a city worker closes a pair of large iron gates with signs that read “road closed” and places orange plastic traffic markers to redirect traffic. Then, a steady stream of surfers, dog walkers, fitness enthusiasts and park-goers trickle in as the weekend begins.
Vin Budhai, a spokesperson for the “No on K” campaign declined an interview citing travel reasons, but provided Courthouse News with a statement.
“Today’s outcome is a setback, but our commitment to making San Francisco safe, accessible, and connected remains stronger than ever,” they wrote, referring to the recent uptick in polls for the “Yes on K” campaign. Budhai pledged their campaign would hold local leaders accountable should the measure pass.
Proposition K was placed on the ballot in June by a vote of five members from the city’s Board of Supervisors.
Courthouse News reached out to the “Yes on K” campaign for comment but has not received a reply.