Two teens come of age on the JFK Promenade, by Emily Nguyen & Ewan Barker Plummer
Car-free JFK promenade is a boon for San Francisco's teens. Teens of the last generation hung out at consumerist suburban malls. Our generation meets up at the Promenade and local parks.
In April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, Mayor London Breed issued an emergency order to make JFK car-free. Her aim was to provide a safe and accessible recreational space for those cooped up in their houses during quarantine. Car-free JFK was a gift for young San Franciscans like us to exercise and enjoy the fresh air safely on an open promenade, to enjoy freedom of movement and beauty amidst the calamities of the COVID pandemic. On April 26, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to make this space permanently car-free.
We, as young San Franciscans and as advocates, ask our Supervisors to vote to keep this new community resource. In 2020 and 2021, high school students, including us, were confined at home by Zoom school. Golden Gate Park became a home away from home, a place to meet up with friends and engage with loved ones. We joined with others of all ages – to walk, run, skate, scoot and bicycle down the wonderful thoroughfare in San Francisco’s largest park, safely distanced.
Emily: I have many strong memories associated with JFK such as socially distanced birthday picnics with friends, my first Tpumps date walking along the promenade with a boy I met at summer camp, and a long bike ride to Ocean Beach with my bestfriend. JFK brought light to a tumultuous year, and became one of my go-tos. I grew attached to JFK, and in turn, grew more attached to San Francisco. Having access to a public space like JFK compels one to feel more attached to the city.
Having not gotten my permit and living in the Excelsior neighborhood, I rely on the 44 bus line to get to Golden Gate Park and Green Apple Books in the Richmond district, my go-to weekend spots. The 44, along with many other bus lines have brought me great opportunities as it compels me to get out of my neighborhood and explore all there is to the city. Efficient public transportation is a solution to inequities in car ownership and is an opportunity to bridge neighborhoods if we give it the chance to be one. It brings people like me from across the city to Golden Gate Park, and saves our climate —a win-win choice.
Ewan: As a Sunset resident, I found JFK to be a peaceful and joyful space for myself and SF’s kids and families. Every community utilized this space, with users coming from all parts of the city. The pandemic was long and montonus, with little to do and few ways to interact with peers. Not to mention the times it became scary and griefful. JFK helped facilitate personal connections with others, and with Golden Gate Park.
As the pandemic continued, my Quaker Meeting began looking for safe ways to meet together. Our Meetinghouse in SOMA couldn’t be used, it was small and not well-ventilated, so many Friends (as Quakers call each other) began meeting at the Dahlia Dell. This peaceful space just off of JFK was only possible because there wasn’t traffic, making the space easily accessible by walking and Muni, and limiting car noise as we met in silence. It was a joy to connect with Friends of all ages and abilities in this space of worship.
Voting against car-free JFK will hurt people like us who have grown to value this space and the opportunities it created during COVID, especially youth who have heavily utilized the public space.
In prioritizing public transportation, a system that serves everyone, instead of just those who have the privilege of privately driving, we will champion equitable access to JFK. Transit like the new Golden Gate Park shuttle will especially open opportunities for the elderly, people with disabilities, low-income people, and youth who are unable to drive. Most importantly, we invest in an environmentally-friendly world where transit service is prioritized in our streets.
Finally, putting cars back on JFK to car traffic is a step in the wrong direction for our climate. We are the first generation that must confront the consequences from our climate. Private vehicles are the top source of carbon emissions in San Francisco. If we want to meet our climate goals as a city, we need to create more opportunities to compel people to take the bus, bike, and walk.
Car-Free JFK Promenade has become one of Golden Gate Park’s most popular destinations, with millions of visits. We should not take away this destination in exchange for a few hundred free parking spots and the convenience of car ownership–instead, we should be focused on how to enable as many people from across our city to enjoy this unique and beautiful place. Its value to our communities, especially young San Franciscans, has become even more apparent as the decision over its future arrives. A big step in the right direction for the future of public safety, combating our climate crisis, and supporting public transit would be to keep JFK Car-Free.