Ban cars from JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, ralliers cry

Advocates rallied on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to send a message to city officials: Keep a portion of John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park permanently closed to private vehicles.

The roadway has been closed during most of the pandemic and has become a popular destination for skaters, bicyclists and pedestrians. Those in favor of keeping the road car-free were able to gather over 6,000 postcards to send to the Board of Supervisors who will make the final decision on what to do with the JFK Drive.

Supervisors are expected to determine a configuration for JFK Drive sometime this spring after the Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency present their findings from months of public outreach.

Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk San Francisco, said at the rally that turning the roadway back to vehicles would a step backwards for The City:

So many people have said to me if we can’t get 1.4 miles of car free space in our biggest park, there is no hope for San Francisco. So supervisors, Mayor Breed. We’re asking you today to give us hope because now is the time to make this permanent.”

More than 6,000 postcards in support of a car-free JFK Driver were spread out on the steps of City Hall, with the intention to send the postcards to supervisors.

The idea to permanently close the roadway has divided city officials, advocates for the disabled, and even the museums inside the park, who have claimed that the closure has hurt park attendance and accessibility to the park, especially for people with disabilities.

Supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the Richmond District, just north of Golden Gate Park, told the San Francisco Chronicle that she wants to convene another working group to address some of the issues of access to the park.

Other supervisors, including board President Shamann Walton, have previously expressed concerns that keeping the roadway closed to vehicles permanently is not equitable for all residents in The City, such as residents who live further away from the park and may need to drive to the park.

At least three other supervisors have shown support in keeping JFK Drive permanently closed, including Dean Preston, Matt Haney and Rafael Mandelman.

Preston said at the rally that it should be a “no brainer” to keep JFK Drive car-free and moving towards making other streets car-free:

We should be moving on to looking at what other streets in the city we can identify for a robust car-free network across our city if we’re serious about Vision Zero.”

Haney said he vowed to vote against any further delays:

The time for committees, the time for working groups, the time for delays is over.”

Rec and Park has already begun making access improvements to the park, including making changes its free shuttle service.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.