Photo by Sergio Ruiz
The Transportation Authority Board gave final approval of the Golden Gate Park Stakeholder Working Group Final Report during its May 25 board meeting.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, John F. Kennedy Drive from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive was closed to cars seven days per week, allowing people to walk and bicycle while social distancing. This same section of JFK Drive has been car-free on Sundays since 1967 and a shorter section has been car-free on Saturdays since 2007.
At the request of former Transportation Authority Board Member Sandra Lee Fewer (District 1) and now sponsored by Board Members Connie Chan (District 1) and Gordon Mar (District 4), the Transportation Authority convened a working group in collaboration with the Recreation and Parks Department and SFMTA to review access needs for Golden Gate Park. The 17-member working group consisted of residents, businesses, and public and community organizations to identify ways to improve travel to, from, and within Golden Gate Park. The goal of this effort was to build consensus around shared values and needs which will inform subsequent park access planning as well as the long-term operations of JFK Drive.
Over the course of four working group meetings, the group identified nine access needs, including access for people with disabilities, clear wayfinding signage, improved operations for the park shuttle, safe access from adjacent neighborhoods, safe and efficient transit to the park, and more. The report also developed an Action Framework which identified short- and long-term actions necessary to support improved access and experience for all in Golden Gate Park.
Download the Golden Gate Park Working Group and Action Framework Final Report (PDF)
In coming months, the Recreation and Parks Department and SFMTA will build on the working group findings to lead a design process to evaluate future options for JFK Drive and improve park access. This process will include additional public outreach.
At the request of Transportation Authority Board Member Shamann Walton (District 10), the Transportation Authority will be pursuing an equity analysis of park access to inform proposed designs for JFK Drive.
The Transportation Authority's Neighborhood Program funded the Golden Gate Park Working Group and Action Framework with $60,000 in half-cent sales tax funds.
Resources
May 11, 2021 Presentation to the Transportation Authority Board (PDF)
Related Content
