Outreach and Analysis

Public Outreach Process

The Golden Gate Park Safety and Access Program, a joint effort of Rec and Park and SFMTA, engaged with more than 10,000 people during an eight-month public outreach process, and has resulted in a program proposal.

Robust, multi-lingual outreach was conducted through a virtual open house, pop-up information centers at neighborhood farmers markets and Golden Gate Park, community meetings and park tours. Outreach spanned five languages and prioritized older adults, people with disabilities, monolingual and communities of color, park visitors and families, park neighbors and merchant groups.  

In an online survey, approximately 90 percent of respondents were San Francisco residents. In total, 70 percent expressed support keeping JFK Drive car-free. People from every ethnic background expressed majority support for the car-free option, as did all groups under 65. Respondents expressed overwhelming support for improvements such as increased shuttle service, bikeshare, and access to the Music Concourse Garage.

Equity:

• Make Golden Gate Park feel more welcoming to Black and brown communities with direct programming and event days
• Golden Gate Park and car-free streets can be a respite for youth and other at-risk community members who experience violence and crime in their communities
• Transit service to the Park isn’t viable for everyone.
• Community members in Bayview/ Hunters Point, Excelsior, Chinatown and other eastern neighborhoods are less interested in issues around Golden Gate Park and more interested in parks and programs in their neighborhoods

Accessibility:

• Some people with disabilities have shared that the loss of JFK Drive has restricted access to park institutions and made them less likely to visit the park
• Some mobility device users enjoy using the car-free streets that give them more space to get around and without the stress of car traffic 
• There isn’t enough blue zone parking and it can be too far from places people want to go.
• JFK Drive is a safe and open place that neurodiverse kids and adults use for recreation.
• Few people know that a shuttle in the Park is available to people with disabilities and others; those who were aware described the shuttle as not useful.
• There should be improved wayfinding and path of travel for people with disabilities, park-wide

Mobility:

• Some people requested that private vehicles be restricted on all GGP roadways, like in New York’s Central Park.
• Neighbors feel like the removal of JFK Drive from the street network has added to traffic congestion. 
• Many people who drive to the park find the parking situation challenging and confusing. 
• Car-free and car-light streets like JFK Drive have enabled some people to be less reliant on their cars and motivated people to try sustainable options 
• Some people would like park-enhancing experiences and interpretive elements as part of mobility solutions within the park. 
• On car-free streets, some users felt that cyclists and other faster users on the promenade make other slower moving users feel uncomfortable and less safe.

Process:

• Some people who disagree with the overall closure of JFK Drive to vehicular traffic also believed that the public process is rushed and not sufficient.
• Some people feel it has taken too long to deliver on commitments made in the Golden Gate Park Master Plan, 25 years ago, and the program has had an extended timeline of public process, including working groups, months of direct outreach and months of legislative process.

Data & Analysis

All self-reported race and ethnic groups supported a car-free JFK

Net increase in total blue zone spaces in Golden Gate Park; new blue zones are closer to key institutions and new drop-off and pick-up zones at the Music Concourse

Accessibility Commitments

Vehicle Travel Time Analysis- Removing JFK as a link in the transportation network had no impact on vehicle travel time pre-pandemic.  

In this example, Richmond District to Bayview, travel times were 45 seconds shorter on Sundays than on Saturdays. 

In this example, Panhandle to the Outer Richmond, travel times were 72 seconds longer on Sundays than on Saturdays.

Removing JFK as a link in the transportation network has no impact on vehicle travel time post-pandemic.

Eighty percent of roads in Golden Gate Park remain open, with 5,000 parking spaces available.

Eighty-three percent of parking in Golden Gate Park remains available, with more than 2,500 parking spaces east of Transverse Drive.

The majority of San Franciscans live within a 15-minute walk to a direct MUNI ride to Golden Gate Park.