San Francisco will permanently keep cars off the east end of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park after months of intense public debate.
In a vote of 7 to 4 on Tuesday night, the Board of Supervisors backed Mayor London Breed’s legislation banning cars 1.5 miles from the road forever, which has become a very popular destination for pedestrians, runners and cyclists after two years. closed to vehicles. before.
Supervisors Connie Chan and Shaman Walton, who sponsored an alternative proposal, voted against Breed’s ordinance, as did supervisors Asha Safai and Aaron Peskin.
The vote came at the end of a 12-hour meeting, most of which was engulfed in a flood of public comments in person at the town hall and by phone.
People train on JFK Drive at Golden Gate Park on Tuesday. The board of supervisors voted on Tuesday to keep 1.5 miles of JFK Drive permanently closed to cars.
Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle
The board’s solution solves one of its most anticipated problems in recent months and finalizes the transformation of the road artery that has led to some of the city’s most famous crowning attractions.
Supervisor Matt Haney, who will leave the board to join the state assembly next week, said the pandemic forced San Francisco to try something on JFK Drive that “many residents knew had such powerful potential for so long. “.
“This has been going on for decades and … it should give us a lot of hope for our city and what is possible,” Haney said.
The board approved amendments by supervisors Catherine Stephanie and Gordon Marr, which will require city officials to provide two-year quarterly reports, starting in July, on their progress in improving Golden Gate Park parking facilities and accessibility for people with disabilities, along with other initiatives.
Chan spearheaded an alternative that would allow one-way traffic on JFK Drive between 8th Avenue and Transverse Drive and would also launch cars on both sides of the Conservatory Drive behind the Flower Conservatory.
Chan’s proposal could not be accepted on Tuesday, as its provisions will require city staff to assess what level of environmental review, if any, is required by state law.
The supervisors unanimously agreed to send her proposal back to the commission, which allowed her to obtain an environmental solution. In theory, the move could allow some overseers to try to reconsider Chan’s proposal later if they are unhappy with the city’s ongoing attempts to make the park more accessible.
A young protester carries a sign while standing next to hundreds of others during a rally in front of the San Francisco City Hall on Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors voted the east side of John F. Kennedy’s Golden Gate Park to be permanently car-free
Jessica Christian / The Chronicle
“I hope that as we go down this path, we will do so in a way that is inclusive and prioritizes access to all parts of Golden Gate Park,” Stephanie said before announcing her support for the mayor’s ordinance.
In reviewing the two pieces of legislation, supervisors weighed different views on the park’s future – and its role in civic life.
The Breed ordinance retains the pandemic-era JFK Drive status as a commonly used car-free driveway and haven for those who want to enjoy the park on foot or by bike. Meanwhile, Chan’s proposal will return cars to part of the road in a bid to ensure that people with disabilities, the elderly and residents of neighborhoods with limited transit opportunities can still easily access the park and its attractions.
The fate of the road has been the subject of intense organization in recent months, with rallies, letter-writing and direct lobbying by oversight bodies trying to influence the outcome. About 70% of 10,000 respondents in an urban survey said they wanted the road to be closed to cars.
But some critics remain concerned about access, including the de Young Museum, which says the current road closure is reducing traffic. Museum officials said de Young’s attendance in June was 48 percent lower than before the pandemic. In the Legion of Honor, the decline is 18%, museum officials say, attributing the difference at least in part to the closure of JFK Drive.
Breed’s proposal was sponsored by Haney and Mar, along with supervisors Rafael Mandelman and Dean Preston. They joined the vote to pass the law by Stephanie and supervisors Mirna Melgar and Hillary Ronen.
At the meeting, Chan questioned whether the city’s attempts to gather public opinion about the closure of JFK Drive have reached enough people of color and people with disabilities.
“Who do we give priority to? Who are we ready to leave behind? ”Chan said.
Walton, the president of the board, criticized the closure of JFK Drive, which he called a “red line” and a “segregationist” over fears of restricting access to the park for people with disabilities and those living in the southeast of the city, which he represents.
He reiterated his position at the board meeting.
“Closing parts of the park tells a certain geography, it tells a certain class of people, it tells a certain race of people here in San Francisco that you weren’t welcome before and you’re still not welcome,” Walton said. “Some people want to talk strictly about cars against no cars, but the conversation has always been much bigger than that.”
Walton asked city officials to conduct a study on the fairness of how residents living far from the park are or do not get there and how travel patterns have changed during the pandemic. The supervisors heard the results of this study at their meeting on Tuesday, a technical joint meeting in their roles in both the Board of Supervisors and the Transport Authority.
The survey received 310 responses by email and telephone from people living in surveillance areas 3, 10 and 11 – located in the northeastern, southeastern and southern parts of the city. Most respondents said they visit the eastern end of the park several times a year or less, but would like to go there more often. The most frequently cited barriers are difficulties in finding a car park, the high cost of parking in the garage of the music hall and the trips to the park, which take too much time from the place where the respondents live.
In areas 10 and 11, the proportion of people who say they rarely or never go to the eastern end of the park increased during the pandemic, the study found. About 18% of respondents in all three counties said the closure of JFK Drive for cars made them less likely to walk in the area.
Among people in the areas who said they went to East Park at least a few times a month, the survey found a small demographic gap before and after the pandemic. The most frequent visitors were whites or Asians.
City officials say they are working to address accessibility issues by introducing flexible pricing in the hallway garage so that it is cheaper during hours of low demand and expanding free parking opportunities for people with disabilities and people receiving public benefits. food aid. The city will also extend the free time to charge the garage from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, and employees are working on improvements to the shuttle parking lot, among other efforts.
Jody Medeiros, executive director of the Walk San Francisco Pedestrian Protection Group, kicked off a rally on the steps of City Hall before the board meeting, where she and other supporters called on supervisors to approve Breed JFK Drive legislation.
“For two years, we’ve seen how many people not only love, but really need this car-free space,” Medeiros said, noting how dangerous road traffic can be for pedestrians. “JFK without cars is for our safety.”
Some observers remained concerned about what it would mean to maintain the car ban for people with disabilities and the elderly. Betty Trainer, president of the Senior and Disability Action board, said the park is currently not accessible enough “to justify closing JFK Drive to cars at the moment.”
“We’re asking for some kind of compromise,” Trainer said.
David Miles, a local resident known as the godfather of skateboarding and an ardent supporter of JFK Drive without cars, told supervisors that his conversations with people on the waterfront have shown strong support for making it permanent.
“Let me tell you what people who come there think: they think the closure of JFK Drive is the most fantastic experience in San Francisco,” Miles said. “And that’s the truth.”
JD Morris is a full-time writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
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