People rallied and marched on a stretch of JFK Drive in San Francisco Saturday that they said should remain car-free.
Toward the beginning of the pandemic, the city closed a section to car traffic in Golden Gate Park to allow people a safe space to get outside and exercise.
Supporters said it’s been successful and should stay this way.
“All summer we used it to get them to summer camp in the Presidio, it's just a great way for us to get around,” said Ethan Bold of San Francisco.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Bold and his kids went out on bikes Saturday.
“I think it should stay because it’s a lot safer now there are a lot fewer injuries on this road I think people love it,” he said.
Early in the pandemic, a 1.4 mile stretch was closed to cars giving people a safe space to get outside and people said it was widely successful and should stay.
Local
“Our time is now,” said Jodie Medeiros of Walk SF. “For San Francisco this has been a pilot we have proven its success and it's now time to make it permanent.”
Now they’re looking at what’s next.
“We’re out here trying to get the support of six supervisors to say yes to this we have three supervisors today in support,” said Medeiros.
But some have raised questions about accessibility and others today saw it differently.
“I think during the weekdays it should be open for cars so they can come through the museum and the concourse,” said a resident.
As people marched Saturday, they vowed to keep up the pressure.
