FAQs
Q: Who are we?
We are volunteers (many of whom are parents) who love Golden Gate Park and feel kids should be safe on JFK. If JFK is safe for kids, it is safe for everyone. None of us are being paid to work on this project. We are building a broad and diverse coalition of individuals and organizations who believe in protecting safe public spaces, while providing better access for all people, especially our most vulnerable: children, people with disabilities and underrepresented communities.
Q: How dangerous was JFK before it became a pedestrian promenade?
JFK used to be on San Francisco’s high injury corridor, which means it was one of the most dangerous and deadly streets in San Francisco. It was not a place where you could walk without keeping your guard up, or help your kid learn to ride their scooter for the first time. The stretch from Kezar to 8th avenue averaged 5 collisions/year, many of them serious. Since becoming Kid-Safe JFK, there have been zero serious injuries!
Q: How can we promote equitable access to Golden Gate Park?
This is our top concern. This is a public park!
But taking away open spaces where we can move freely, let kids roam, experience calm, and hear the sounds of nature won’t bring about more equity.
We need smarter approaches to fulfill the promise of safe, green, and open spaces for everyone in San Francisco. That means investments in transit coverage, frequency, and affordability. Better management of all car parking (free and paid). Additional ADA parking spots in the most popular areas. Safer walking & biking connections into the park. And an improved park shuttle.
Q: Does the safe JFK pedestrianized promenade take away drop-off access to the Museums?
A: Not at all. The 44 bus drops off right in front of both instituions. Walking & biking access has never been more safe. Car drivers can still drive right up to the entrance and drop people off at the California Academy of Sciences and the DeYoung museum on Music Concourse Drive and Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, both of which can be accessed via MLK Drive. And both museums are accessible from the 800 car underground garage.
Q: What about car parking?
A: We get it -- some visitors come to Golden Gate Park by car. Maybe you’re coming from far away, or transit isn’t frequent enough, or you want to bring your kid’s bike along so they can learn to ride in a safe environment like JFK. Our coalition is multimodal: some of us take transit, some walk, some bike, and some of us drive to Golden Gate Park too.
Right now there are over 3,500 parking spots inside Golden Gate Park and thousands more on nearby city streets. The vast majority of these spots are free. Taking away safe JFK would net a few hundred additional parking spots -- it’s a drop in the bucket. But in exchange for that small handful of parking spaces that someone else will snag anyway, we’d lose something magical: the largest and most popular pedestrian promenade in the city. It’s a terrible trade.
Even with safe JFK, there are over 3,500 free car parking spots on the streets of Golden Gate Park. This doesn't include Fulton & Lincoln Avenues that also offer free street parking Additionally, there is an 836 spot garage below the De Young and Cal Academy Museums as well as 280 spots in a paid lot at Kezar stadium. This museum garage can be accessed from Fulton @ 10th ave. Or from Lincoln->MLK->Music Concourse if you are arriving from the south side.
Q: What about Public Transit?
A: We are glad you asked. Golden Gate Park is serviced by some of the best bus and light rail lines in San Francisco.
The 5 Fulton runs directly along the northern border of the park. The N Judah runs along the southern border of the park, a block or two from the park at any time. The 44 bus provides direct access to the busiest part of the park around the Music Concourse and the De Young & Cal Academy museums. This frequent bus travels from the south east side of San Francisco, directly through Golden Gate Park and north to the border of the Presidio. Additionally the eastern and western borders of the park are serviced by the 33 and 18 bus respectively. Finally, there is a free Golden Gate Park Shuttle that operates from 9am-6pm daily and travels down JFK drive.
Q: What about ADA accessibility?
A: We are glad you asked. This is a top priority for our coalition. There has long been much work to do in order to make GGP more accessible. We believe this is an opportunity to increase accessibility. Below are a few things we are working on in coordination with stakeholders including WalkSF, the Mayor's office on disability, SF Rec Park and other community groups.
(1) Replacing ADA blue zone parking spots that have been removed from JFK Drive with new ADA spots on adjacent streets including Nancy Pelosi Drive, MLK and behind the music concourse. 14 spaces have found a new home on these adjacent streets. More are coming soon.
(2) Pushing to transfer management of the Music Concourse Garage to SFMTA. This would allow for dynamic pricing, reduced rates for people with disabilities, and increased time to do door-front drop-offs in the garage.
(3) Adding ADA blue zone parking spots on Fulton Drive. Through our advocacy SFMTA has added several blue zone parking spots on Fulton Drive adjacent to Car Free JFK.
(4) Improved park shuttle bus. Wayfinding for the shuttle bus is particularly bad. It is unclear where passengers should wait & load. Additionally, the shuttle isn't well advertised. People exiting other public transit like the 33, 44, 18, N & 5 aren't' informed how and where to transfer to the shuttle. We are early in the process of improving this shuttle, and we are looking for ideas and support.
(5) Shared micromobility for all ages & abilities. Electric bikes, scooters & mobility carts can increase visitor access to the nooks and crannies of our park - better access than a car can provide. Services like BORP https://www.borp.org/programs/adaptive-cycling/ are bringing adaptive bikes to GGP. As part of city scooter contracts, companies like SPIN are rolling out seated, adaptive scooters. These mobility devices can be part of increasing access for people of all ages & abilities in GGP.
Q: How can I help and get involved?
Thank for wanting to help! Please fill out this form and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible.