Wong’s backers embody Sundown residents who say the highway closure has elevated site visitors on different close by avenues and main thoroughfares. Nonetheless, one research from the San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority discovered minimal impression.
The supervisor launched the draft poll measure simply days after a San Francisco choose dismissed all claims in a lawsuit searching for to overturn Prop Okay. Plaintiffs mentioned town did not conduct an environmental evaluate earlier than opening the park. They’ve about two months to enchantment the choose’s latest ruling.
Lisa Arjes, a Sundown resident and plaintiff within the case, mentioned merely shifting automobiles to a different highway does little to handle the environmental challenges the westside is going through.
“All we’ve completed by closing that is to maneuver emissions elsewhere. We haven’t actually addressed something about learn how to scale back emissions,” Arjes mentioned.
Park supporters say the highway needed to change within the close to future no matter any poll measure. The decrease portion of the Nice Freeway is already closed off to automotive site visitors attributable to coastal erosion.
Critics of the poll measure additionally level to how there have already been two poll measures since 2022 over the highway and a lawsuit.
“Future generations will see this as a foolish controversy as a result of the park’s advantages far outweigh the fears of site visitors jams that by no means occurred,” Engardio, the recalled supervisor, mentioned in an announcement this week. “The coast belongs to everybody and it received’t be lengthy earlier than a majority all over the place will embrace the fantastic and magical Sundown Dunes.”
Followers of the park say it expands leisure house for biking, skating and strolling alongside the coast, and has created a venue for public artwork and occasions.
A number of native companies advised KQED they’ve seen income improve for the reason that park opened because of extra foot site visitors within the space and guests coming from different components of town and Bay Space.
Mates of Sundown Dunes, a gaggle working to protect the park and combat the poll measure, held a discussion board on Wednesday night time concerning the situation.
“Supervisor Wong was unable to clarify even probably the most primary particulars about his proposal at a city corridor final night time, together with how a lot it will value taxpayers to tear out town’s third most-visited park to interchange it with a failing highway,” mentioned Mates of Sundown Dunes president Lucas Lux in an announcement. “As a substitute, he willfully misrepresented information about site visitors accidents to again up this political stunt moderately than have interaction in considerate policymaking.”
After the group assembly, Wong defended his choice to introduce the poll measure.
“I would like all constituents to know that they will at all times have interaction me whether or not we see eye-to-eye or not,” Wong mentioned in an announcement. “Throughout my first three weeks in workplace, I met with extra Sundown Dunes-related organizations than another and can proceed to take action.”
KQED reporter Eliza Peppel contributed to this story.
