Vote No on Prop K
Keep Upper Great Highway Open
OFFICIAL OPPOSITION ARGUMENT
Authored by Richie Greenberg
Download a copy: Official Opposition Argument
NOTE: This November 2024, voters across San Francisco will be asked, by way of an official city ballot measure, whether to permanently prohibit private vehicles from driving on the Upper Great Highway, abbreviated UGH. Here's why its a bad idea for everyone, and we must vote No on Prop K.
Controversial Claims About Upper Great Highway
Prop "K", as it is designated, asks San Franciscans if they want to permanently close a 2-mile section of the Upper Great Highway (UGH). Supporters of this controversial proposal are making wildly inaccurate and outright false claims about the reasons to close this important roadway, and what the end result would be.
Supporters misleadingly state you are voting to create "Ocean Beach Park", or the existing roadway is "abandoned" and the pavement "crumbling". Why would they work so hard to deceive voters?. Here is a summary of their claims.
| Claim | True or False? | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| We are voting to create a park | False | This measure, called Prop K, will do only one thing: Stop private vehices from driving on the existing Great Highway specifically between Lincoln and Sloat. Prop K does not create "Ocean Beach Park" nor is the existing roadway to be removed. City-authorized vehicles will still be driving on the roadway. |
| The existing Upper Great Highway's roadway will be removed | False | Prop K only closes the roadway to private vehicles. City-owned vehicles and emergency vehicles will still be able to drive on the existing roadway. The Great Highway's pavement will not be removed. |
| A park is needed for recreation, dog walking, biking, exercise | False | Golden Gate Park, a world-class park, is adjacent to, and connect to, the north end of the Great Highway. Also, there are currently two paved biking, strolling and jogging paths immediately alongside the west and east edge of the Great Highway. (See photos below). |
| Prop K will transform the roadway into an accessible, inclusive and equitable park | False | The Great Highway's pavement will remain. Walking on asphalt does not create a park. Inclusion and equity are not relevant nor a factor in the current nor future use of the Great Highway. |
| It's already an abandoned road | False | The Great Highway sees nearly 20,000 vehicles daily, streams of commuters headed to work and homeward, to school, apointments and tourists marvelling at our beautiful beach and dunes. |
| Closing the highway helps stop Climate Change | False | The vehicles currently driving on the Great Highway would be forced to drive into the nearby neighborhood, to parallel streets, if Prop K passes. There would be no affect on the city's climate. |
| Closing the highway saves taxpayers money | False | The roadway will remain. Taxpayers must still fund city maintenance crews to clear sand and to maintain the pavement. |
| Sand removal will no longer be an issue | False | Wind blows sand from the beach and dunes onto the highway, even if it is closed to private vehicles. City crews will still clear the sand for city-authorized vehicles and emergency vehicles. |
| Air pollution will be greatly reduced | False | Vehicles will be forced to drive a mere few blocks over to the east, parallel to the Great Highway, in the same neighborhoods. Vehicle emissions will still occur regardless. |
| Car accidents, inuries and deaths will be reduced | False | The portion of Great Highway to be affected by Prop K is a controlled roadway with minimal entry/exit points over its 2-mile stretch. Forcing vehicles onto parallel streets and neighborhoods will actually increase congestion in areas not designed for high traffic volume, adding to the potential for accidents, injuries and deaths at intersections. |
| Thousands of people will come to the new park | False | Prop K does not create a park. Imagine the dissapointment when tourists and other city visitors arrive at the highway, expecting a park. Imagine being instructed to walk on the existing asphalt pavement. It's not a park. There is no joy in being misled about the reality of Upper Great Highway and what Prop K actually does. |
| It's like New York's Highline Park | False | Manhattan's Highline is a repurposing of a section of an abandoned elevated railroad. Our Great Highway is currently used by thousand of vehicles, right now, daily. It couldn't be more different. |
| The effort to close Great Highway is a grass-roots effort | False | Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO and founder of Yelp, donated over $350,000 to the committee working to close access to the Great Highway. Additional major funding will come. This is the opposite of grass-roots activism. |
Two Well-Maintained Paths Already Exist
It's puzzling how Prop K supporters pretend it's necessary to permanently close the Upper Great Highway so the road can instead be used as a beachfront path for walking, bike riding, jogging, dog exercise, skateboards, yet the UGH already has two paths. One runs the entire length of the UGH just feet to the east, parallel. The second pathway is actually a well-constructed "Great Highway Promenade", mere feet to the west and put in service in 1989. Yes, for nearly 35 years, we've actually had a promenade with beach access. The Prop K deception is unbeleivable. Thats why we must vote NO on Prop K.
Here's what will appear in the November 2024 voter guide opposing Proposition K:
Don’t be misled: This November's proposition will not create a park nor remove the paved roadway of the Upper Great Highway (UGH). We already have a compromise for private vehicles: weekdays opened and weekends and holidays closed, for several years. Therefore, vote NO.
Our existing Upper Great Highway is a vital link for West side residents and businesses' cars transporting families, students, patients, commuters - and sightseers - along our beautiful coast. Closing this road would permanently push vehicles onto adjacent neighborhood streets, bringing noise, traffic snarls and potential accidents.
Golden Gate Park is directly adjacent to the north end of UGH, yet activists pretend a new park is still necessary. They pretend walking on UGH asphalt would define a "park". They ignore the existing walking, bicycling, jogging, rollerblading and dogwalking path literally feet away to the east, running parallel the length of UGH. Need even more space for recreating? Head over to our world-class Golden Gate Park.
Activists claim permanently closing the UGH will address climate change. Ridiculous! With UGH's cars redirected mere blocks over, there'll be virtually no climate effect on the environment.
Activists lament the existing need to clear blowing sand off the UGH at a cost of millions. Will sand magically stop infiltrating the UGH if the road is closed? Fact: UGH will still require roadway sand removal for emergency vehicles and city maintenance vehicles.
San Francisco voters, all this proposition will do is prohibit private vehicles travelling north and south on the Upper Great Highway, and nothing more. Anti-car, anti-free-movement activists and their financial backers ask you to sacrifice a lot, without disclosing the true motives behind the road's closure. Therefore, join me in saying NO. Keep Upper Great Highway open for all.
Richie Greenberg
