Sunset Supervisor Reveals Draft Ballot Measure to Put Cars Back on the Great Highway

The San Francisco supervisor leading the charge to allow cars back on a portion of the Great Highway unveiled on Thursday a draft of the citywide ballot measure he hopes to put before voters this year.

The fight over the Great Highway has riled up residents across the city, particularly those on the west side who live closest to the road. District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong, who stepped into office in December 2025, said he supports reopening the Great Highway to cars during weekdays and keeping it closed as a park on weekends.

“Under the compromise, San Franciscans had the best of both worlds, using the Great Highway as a park on weekends and sharing it with commuters on weekdays during peak traffic times,” Wong said. “The Sunset District is surrounded by recreational areas on three sides, Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, Stern Grove and every San Franciscan is just a 10-minute walk to a park.”

The upper portion of the Great Highway closed during the pandemic to make way for social distancing and recreation, and voters decided in 2022 to keep cars off the road on weekends.

Then, in November 2024, voters citywide passed Proposition K, which permanently removed cars from the two-mile stretch of the Great Highway to open a beachside park called Sunset Dunes. But the majority of residents who live closest to the park voted against removing cars from the road, and the decision helped fuel a successful recall campaign against former Supervisor Joel Engardio.

Wong worked with the city attorney’s office to draft the ballot measure, and he will need the support of three additional supervisors to get it on the ballot for a citywide election. Supervisors Connie Chan, Cheyenne Chen and Shamann Walton have all previously indicated support for such a ballot measure. It would require a simple majority to pass.

At a press conference on Thursday, Wong said that traffic jams and injuries have increased since the Great Highway closed and Sunset Dues opened in April 2025. He highlighted data showing traffic injuries in the district increased from 37 between April and September 2024 to 67 between April and December 2025.

“The 14,000 daily commuters didn’t just vanish when the highway was closed. They were pushed onto neighborhood streets and other corridors throughout the west side and the rest of the city, which is why any single road may not appear overwhelmed, but the cumulative impacts are undeniable,” said Wong, who voted against Prop K. “Ultimately, I have to prioritize street safety and the needs of those commuting to work, taking their kids to school or going to the Veterans Affairs hospital over weekday recreation.”

Wong’s backers include Sunset residents who say the road closure has increased traffic on other nearby avenues and major thoroughfares. However, one study from the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority found minimal impact.

The supervisor released the draft ballot measure just days after a San Francisco judge dismissed all claims in a lawsuit seeking to overturn Prop K. Plaintiffs said the city failed to conduct an environmental review before opening the park. They have about two months to appeal the judge’s recent ruling.

Lisa Arjes, a Sunset resident and plaintiff in the case, said simply shifting cars to another road does little to address the environmental challenges the west side is facing.

“All we’ve done by closing this is to move emissions somewhere else. We haven’t really addressed anything about how to reduce emissions,” Arjes said.

Park supporters say the road had to change in the near future, regardless of any ballot measure. The lower portion of the Great Highway is already closed off to car traffic due to coastal erosion.

Critics of the ballot measure also point to how there have already been two ballot measures since 2022 over the road and a lawsuit.

“Future generations will see this as a silly controversy because the park’s benefits far outweigh the fears of traffic jams that never happened,” Engardio, the recalled supervisor, said in a statement this week. “The coast belongs to everyone, and it won’t be long before a majority everywhere will embrace the wonderful and magical Sunset Dunes.”

Fans of the park say it expands recreational space for biking, skating and strolling along the coast, and has created a venue for public art and events.

Several local businesses told KQED they have seen profits increase since the park opened as a result of more foot traffic in the area and visitors coming from other parts of the city and the Bay Area.

Friends of Sunset Dunes, a group working to preserve the park and fight the ballot measure, held a forum on Wednesday night about the issue.

“Supervisor Wong was unable to explain even the most basic details about his proposal at a town hall last night, including how much it would cost taxpayers to rip out the city’s third most-visited park to replace it with a failing road,” said Friends of Sunset Dunes president Lucas Lux in a statement. “Instead, he willfully misrepresented data about traffic injuries to back up this political stunt rather than engage in thoughtful policymaking.”

After the community meeting, Wong defended his decision to introduce the ballot measure.

“I want all constituents to know that they can always engage me whether we see eye-to-eye or not,” Wong said in a statement. “During my first three weeks in office, I met with more Sunset Dunes-related organizations than any other and will continue to do so.”

KQED reporter Eliza Peppel contributed to this story.