Letter in support of a permanently car-free JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park

December 17, 2021

Dear Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Board of Directors, SF Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg, and the SF Recreation and Park Commission:

The San Francisco Parent Coalition strongly supports making the current car-free space on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park permanent.

San Francisco Parent Coalition is a broad and diverse network of thousands of public school families and supporters, centering the needs of children and youth in San Francisco, primarily advocating for a thriving, equitable school system. Occasionally there are other family- and child-centered issues in San Francisco which we feel important to weigh in on. A car-free JFK Drive is currently one of them.  

We support car-free JFK Drive. Car-free JFK Drive is one of the most child-friendly steps that San Francisco has ever taken and provides immense value to thousands of families. Car-free JFK Drive is also an important route for commuting with children safely. Every day, an average of three people are hit while simply walking in San Francisco. People of all ages and abilities need significant safe space to be able to walk without the constant threat of dangerous traffic. Car-free JFK Drive provides something our city needs: a promenade that prioritizes health and safety in our largest park. Families across the city highly value this safe park space and ask it to be permanent.

Sincerely,

Meredith W. Dodson, on behalf of San Francisco Parent Coalition