On Tuesday, April 26, 2022, by a 7-4 margin, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved giving a 1.5-mile span of John F. Kennedy (JFK) Drive permanent car-free status. This decision was highly anticipated by many San Francisco residents and was announced after a 12-hour debate, including nine hours of public commentary. 

A car-free JFK Drive directly impacts the Urban community, as many students use it to bike to and from school. Additionally, Urban sports routinely use the road to access practice fields. 

When asked about the impacts of this decision, Urban biker Otis Wolbach ’22 said, “I can see how many more people are outside biking on JFK, [which is] really great to see and is definitely motivating as I ride on the street.”

Similarly, Natasha Mei Ong ’23, a member of the varsity cross country team, said, “Having a space to be able to rejuvenate without cars and be able to move and do normal day-to-day things without the disturbance of cars is really helpful. When you’re running, it’s a moment to not think about all these external factors in the world and cars feel like a big disturbance.” Ong also mentioned the unique nature of having a car-free street in the middle of a city. She said, “Having a place without cars is super nice to be able to have a little area that’s serene and away from the larger movement of the city.” 

Lauren Edwards ’22 commutes on JFK every morning by bike and agreed that the lack of cars has improved her morning commute. “I just feel a lot safer,” she said. “I’ve definitely gotten almost hit a few times when there were cars.” 

Edwards also acknowledged the privilege of having access to slow streets. “It feels like a wealth thing. The wealthier neighborhoods definitely have a lot more access to slow streets, which I think is something important to point out,” she said. “In the future, they should maybe put more streets in places that have lower socioeconomic status.”

Ong also spoke about the disparities in slow street locations throughout San Francisco. When asked about the importance of access to slow streets, she said, “I think that having those spaces is really nice for both the communities near the streets and runners and bicyclists.” 

Wolbach said the only downside he noticed since JFK’s closure to cars is how difficult parking is. This raises issues of equity for access to places such as the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young Museum since underground parking lots charge high hourly rates. Currently, there is one pay-per-hour parking facility underneath the de Young Museum that holds 800 vehicles and includes 15 accessible parking spaces. Prior to JFK becoming a slow street, street parking was available along JFK, so its closure has greatly impacted accessibility to parking spaces. 

Despite the downside of unaffordable parking, Wolbach said, “It’s really cool that the city is [closing JFK to cars]. It promotes a community of cyclists and hopefully, gives [the] opportunity for more green transportation and commutes to work and school.”