Golden Gate Park road closure proponents considering ballot measure

By Angela Hokanson, Bay City News Service

July 16, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - Proponents of "Healthy Saturdays," an initiative which seeks to close sections of John F. Kennedy Drive in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to vehicle traffic on Saturdays, gathered in the park today to discuss how to best proceed with their campaign.

Undeterred by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's veto of legislation in May that would have closed portions of JFK Drive to vehicles to allow the roads to be used for biking, walking, running, and other recreational purposes, supporters of the road closures are working on a compromise plan.

According to David Miles Jr., one of the organizers of the Healthy Saturdays campaign, the proposed compromise would keep certain roads in the park open to vehicles on Saturdays to allow for access to the Conservatory of Flowers.

Access to the Conservatory of Flowers was one of the concerns cited by the mayor before he vetoed the Saturday road closure ordinance.

The new plan would keep JFK Drive between Kezar Drive and Bowling Green Drive open to cars on Saturdays, according to Miles. Conservatory Drive East and a portion of Middle Drive East would also be open to cars.

This would allow motorists to reach the Conservatory of Flowers in a car, removing a main "bone of contention" that was in the original road closure legislation, Miles said.

The new plan also calls for parking spaces to be available on the Eighth Avenue entrance to the park, according to Miles.

How people with disabilities would access the park on Saturdays if roads were closed to vehicles -- another concern cited by members of the Board of Supervisors who did not support the legislation -- would be addressed through the use of shuttles and special handicapped parking, measures that are already being implemented on Sundays, when JFK Drive is closed to vehicles, according to Miles.

The Healthy Saturdays supporters are testing the waters with this revised plan, Miles said. The group will decide shortly whether they will try again to pass legislation through the Board of Supervisors, or whether they will take the issue directly to the voters through a ballot measure.

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