A debate on whether to expand a pilot program that banned vehicles along part of the Great Highway on San Francisco’s Pacific coast will be settled at the ballot box in November.
Proposition K asks voters if Upper Great Highway should be made into a dedicated pedestrian thoroughfare and recreation area adjacent to Ocean Beach. Vehicle traffic would be rerouted onto Lower Great Highway, which runs parallel to the east of the coastal road.
Traffic on Upper Great Highway was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown of the city starting in March 2020. In May 2022, a pilot program was created that continued to restrict vehicles on Friday afternoons, weekends and holidays.
The pilot program expires at the end of 2025, but supporters of the closure advocated making it permanent and expanding it to seven days a week. Emergency vehicles, government vehicles and Recreation and Park Department shuttles will be exempt.
Opponents have railed against the highway’s closure, arguing it would create traffic headaches for commuters and the surrounding neighborhood.
Matt Boschetto, a candidate for a Board of Supervisors seat in District 7, which is on the west side of the city but does not include the Great Highway, started a political action committee to oppose the measure. It had raised about $105,000 as of Wednesday. The campaign calls for keeping the weekend and holiday restrictions currently in place.
A competing committee in favor of Prop K had raised about $600,000 as of Wednesday.
The ballot opposition argument written by former mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg urged voters to reject the measure because of its impact on residents and commuters in the area.
“Our existing Upper Great Highway (UGH) is a vital link for West side residents and businesses’ cars transporting families, students, patients, commuters — and sightseers — along our beautiful coast,” Greenberg wrote to voters. “Closing this road would permanently push vehicles onto adjacent neighborhood streets, bringing noise, traffic snarls and potential accidents.”
The closure during the pandemic was part of an initiative by city leaders to create more outdoor recreation space by closing certain streets throughout the city, including Upper Great Highway between Sloat Boulevard and Lincoln Way.
Seven San Francisco supervisors have endorsed Prop K, citing the popularity of the closure with visitors to Ocean Beach and reduced impact from vehicle pollution.
The pilot program was previously opposed by a neighborhood group, the Sunset-Parkside Education and Action Committee, known as SPEAK, which filed an appeal in May with the California Coastal Commission about the closure. The Commission denied it, allowing the city to proceed with the trial closure.
Ecological balance
SPEAK argued that unregulated foot traffic was threatening the endangered Western snowy plover habitat on the dunes lining the beach.
But the Golden Gate Bird Alliance endorsed Prop K and argued that restricting vehicle traffic would create a safer environment for the birds.
A spokesperson for the organization, Ryan Nakano, said the Alliance believed the corridor would create enhanced habitat protection and “cultivate a culture of ecological stewardship” among visitors.
Approving a permanent closure would require further approval from the California Coastal Commission and changes to the city’s general plan.
ChiaYu Ma, the city’s deputy controller, said in her analysis of the proposition that it would lead to one-time savings of $1.5 million and annual savings of between $350,000 and $700,000. It could further lead to savings of up to $4.3 million in traffic signal and other maintenance costs that would no longer be needed.