The one-and-a-half mile segment of John F. Kennedy Drive has been closed to car traffic since April 2020. It is on the eastern side of the park from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive, connecting the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.
The road had long been closed to cars on Sundays since 1967, but was closed 24 hours-per-day to provide safe space for exercising with social distancing during the pandemic.
The stretch of JFK Drive has become popular for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter enthusiasts, doubling the park’s estimated daily attendance from 150-thousand to more than 300-thousand.
Now, Mayor Breed wants to make the change permanent.
The city has also increased shuttle bus service to the park, and added loading zones and parking spaces for the disabled.
The legislation to close the stretch of JFK comes after an eight-month survey of at least 10-thousand people. The bill is being co-sponsored by three city supervisors and was endorsed last week by San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Recreation and Parks Department.
