The California Coastal Commission on Thursday approved a permit that will allow San Francisco to close a section of the Great Highway to car traffic permanently. The permit allows the city to close the roadway to cars between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard — known as the Upper Great Highway — as early as spring 2025.
Closing the Great Highway has long been controversial, and around half of the members of the public who spoke at the meeting opposed the permit.
Commissioner Justin Cummings expressed support for the project and reminded the public, some of whom were disappointed by the decision, that it was the city and the voters of San Francisco who had brought the issue forward.
“It really goes back to the local jurisdiction if they want to shift course on this item,” Cummings said.
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The commission voted unanimously following an hour of public comment. The approval comes after the passage of Proposition K by San Francisco voters last month. Through that ballot measure, voters approved the permanent closure of the Upper Great Highway to car traffic, but the city needed to get this permit in order to implement the voters’ decision. The city is now free to transform the Great Highway into a car-free zone, and to make plans to develop it into a park space in the future.
The permit from the Coastal Commission allows the city to divide the promenade into separate pedestrian and bicycle areas. It also permits a complementary project to build new protected bike lanes along nearby roadways, including the northern stretch of the Great Highway, Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard. The end result will be a continuous bike lane from Sloat Boulevard to the pedestrian and cyclist promenade in Golden Gate Park.
“You’ll now be able to ride a bike for multiple miles through the city, from the panhandle to Daly City, without having to worry about cars,” said Parker Day, one of the handful San Franciscans who traveled to Southern California to attend the meeting in person.
While Proposition K received strong support from neighborhoods further removed from the Great Highway, districts closer to it, including the Sunset District where the road is located, largely opposed it. Frustration over the potential closure sparked efforts from the local community to recall their local representative, Supervisor Joel Engardio, who supported the measure and played a key role in placing it on the ballot.
Neighborhood leaders opposed to the closure also organized residents to submit comments to the Coastal Commission and oppose the permit. During the hearing, a dozen local residents voiced opposition to the plan, expressing concerns about its impact on traffic and the lack of communication with local stakeholders.
“Closing the Great Highway is irresponsible without planning a budget and input from all these stakeholders, including the residents, the 64% who voted against this,” said Brian Adler, a Sunset resident attending on Zoom.
In response to traffic concerns from neighbors, the city proposes modifying two intersections along the Great Highway and installing a new traffic signal at Sloat Boulevard and Skyline Boulevard. That intersection is expected to see increased traffic once a separate southbound stretch of the Great Highway Extension, south of the Upper Great Highway, is closed due to erosion early next year. These changes will be implemented before the Upper Great Highway is converted into a park.
After the stretch of road closes to cars, the intersection of Lincoln Way and 41st Avenue will experience the heaviest delays because it will probably receive drivers rerouted from the Great Highway to get to Sunset Boulevard. To address this problem, the city will install a new traffic signal at this intersection.
Another concern neighbors raised about the permit application is that the proposed new bike lane on Sloat Boulevard would result in the loss of 90 free parking spaces along the boulevard and in an adjacent lot.
The commission’s report asserted that the bike lane will improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, noting that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency identified this section of Sloat Boulevard as “unsafe” and has seen a disproportionate number of severe traffic collisions there. To offset the parking loss, the city plans to create 100 free parking spaces in an underutilized lot near Skyline Boulevard, currently leased to the San Francisco Zoo.
With the permit now approved, city officials can begin the process of creating a park space. That includes holding community engagement meetings and designing the new park.
The permit also allows the city to close the road to vehicles without having to seek approval from the Planning Commission.
A state agency, California State Coastal Conservancy, has awarded $1 million to support long-term design of the park.
