Supervisor Connie Chan’s Announces Support for Changes to Great Highway

From Supervisor Connie Chan’s office:

On Tuesday, June 22, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) voted to adopt the Great Highway report, with amendments to the resolution adopting the staff report. Commissioner Chan requested the resolution include all concepts presented from the report.

Based on feedback from fellow Commissioners Shamann Walton, Myrna Melgar, and Dean Preston, the resolution also included language to urge the SFCTA to monitor use of the facility by race and income and recommend agencies prioritize traffic management planning and bathroom maintenance.

Commissioner Chan expressed support in the long term for Concept Two, which features a promenade and two-way roadway (see image titled “Figure 2”), and in the short term, a timed promenade which would open the Great Highway to cars on weekdays and closed to cars as a promenade on weekends (see image titled “Figure 4”). Chan called for the city to make the infrastructure investments and transit improvements necessary to make a full promenade on one side of the Great Highway available to pedestrians and cyclists, and the other side of the highway open and available to motor vehicles.

“North-South connectivity on the Westside is a lifeline for most of my constituents for work and essential activities,” said Chan. “With the unique geography of the Richmond being bordered by Ocean Beach, the Presidio, and Golden Gate Park, the crossover routes and access points for navigating the westside are critical”.

The majority of motorists — nearly two-thirds — on the Upper Great Highway are between the Richmond District and the South Bay (see image titled “Figure 9”), with the highway being the most.direct route. With the Upper Great Highway closure, agencies expected a shift of vehicles to be pushed into Golden Gate Park, including Chain of Lakes and Crossover.

“The last thing I want to do with the closure of the Great Highway is push traffic into Golden Gate Park, particularly where residents are enjoying the road closures and slow streets,” said Chan. “I also want to ensure solutions to ease traffic congestion don’t push more cars into Golden Gate Park, creating safety concerns for bicyclists and pedestrians in the Park. There must be an increase of public transit routes and service frequency for the Richmond.”

Improvements to intersections experiencing higher traffic volumes due to the closure of the Great Highway were proposed by the SFCTA. Supervisor Chan noted her support for the second improvement idea (see image titled “Figure 17”) at Chain of Lakes and Lincoln, which would keep Martin Luther King Jr. Drive closed between La Playa and Middle Drive West, and adds a signal at Lincoln and 41st Avenue. This improvement would reduce the number of conflict points between vehicles and non-motorists.

“This improvement would create beach to bay connectivity and allow for safe and efficient transit,” said Chan.

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