The Great Walkway is San Francisco’s next great park

The Great Walkway is 17 acres of public land and the second-most popular open space in
San Francisco, with more than 144,000 people using it per month. San Franciscans of all ages
and abilities are safely enjoying the Walkway for recreation, green-commuting, connecting,
celebrating, and building community in ways that were impossible when it was a highway.

Putting cars on the Walkway eliminates safe space for kids, families, and seniors, while
promoting car usage, limiting our ability to add amenities that make this park more accessible
and enjoyable, increasing pollution in the neighborhood, and accelerating climate change.

People of all ages and abilities love the Great Walkway

● San Franciscans strongly support it: 53% of San Franciscans in SFCTA’s survey
supported the full promenade, more than 2.5 times as many people who wanted it as a
highway, and more than 5 times as many who wanted a “compromise” option.
● Sunset neighborhood streets are safer: Traffic collisions in the Sunset are down 30%
since the Great Walkway opened, according to city data in TransBASE.
● Accessible recreation for everyone: The park provides flat and smooth access to
recreation for people who cannot easily access the beach, such as seniors and people
with mobility impairment.

A “compromise” with cars on the Walkway destroys a jewel in the making

● 20,000 people use the Great Walkway during the week: Putting cars on the Walkway
on weekdays would deprive 20,000 people of a special place — it’s unconscionable to
destroy a 17-acre park for a 2.5-minute savings for a small group of car commuters.
● Cars make the Walkway inequitable: Turning the Walkway into a highway on
weekdays excludes many people from the space, including essential workers, seniors
who walk, kids who visit after school, and the 30% of residents who don’t own a car.
Furthermore, Sunset residents say they need more access to parks and open space.
● Cars prevent the Walkway from realizing its full potential: With a full promenade, we
can add seating, dedicated lanes for bikes and scooters, more restrooms, play
equipment for kids, and more.
KidSafeSF.com GreatHighwayPark.com
Kid Safe. Safe for Everyone. An accessible park for all.
Car commuters have plenty of alternatives but the Walkway is one of a kind
● The Highway’s relevance for cars is declining: the Highway south of Sloat will be
permanently closed in 17 months due to coastal erosion (January 2023). Nearly all car
trips are better served by Sunset Blvd, which has ample capacity and sufficient speeds.
● Adding more space for cars creates more traffic: Experts broadly agree that you
cannot solve congestion by adding more roads.
● There are solutions to congestion: SFCTA engineers have developed solutions to
address congestion on Chain of Lakes. We can have the Great Walkway and address
motorist concerns with strategic investments — that’s the right kind of compromise.

When faced with tough choices, we must look to our values

● We are a Transit First city: We should be investing in north-south transit routes to
provide car commuters with choices, like an express bus to the Daly City BART Station,
and preserving the only safe north-south bike route on the Westside.
● We are a Vision Zero city: We can apply the same energy we applied to the pandemic
to the public health emergency in our streets. Cars are the #1 killer of kids ages 2–19.
● We have declared a climate emergency: Cars and trucks are the #1 emitter of CO2 in
SF. Putting cars on the Walkway on weekdays will turn it back into a fossil fuel highway
that emits 6,000 tons of CO2 every year.

The Great Walkway is just getting started ─ imagine what it can become
● A two-year pilot of the 24/7 Great Walkway is the answer: Allow SFMTA and the
Recreation & Parks Department time to invest in this 17-acre park and study its usage in
preparation for the 2023 closure.
● Parks grow and flourish when they are nourished: Inspire the community to explore
new, exciting, and diverse uses for our park land: play spaces, beach wheelchairs, skate
rentals, benches, art - more of the goodness we all cherish in our city.

KidSafeSF.com GreatHighwayPark.com
Kid Safe. Safe for Everyone. An accessible park for all.