The campaign to take away Sunset Dunes Park uses deceptive ads and ‘facts’
Vote NO on Measure G: Save Sunset Dunes Park
My blood really got boiling when I first saw the poster (shown above) for the November ballot measure that would take away Sunset Dunes Park and put vehicle traffic back on the coastal promenade that San Francisco voters approved in 2024.
This ad is a complete misappropriation of pedestrian safety symbolism. In what world does adding vehicle traffic to a road make it safer for pedestrians?
Working at Walk SF, I am all too aware of how vulnerable we are as pedestrians on far too many streets in our city. Every day, an average of three people are hit while walking in San Francisco. Having significant spaces to walk without the threat of dangerous vehicles is part of how we change this – and is simply necessary.
People have shown how needed this is: Sunset Dunes Park is now San Francisco’s third most popular green space, and more than half of visits are on weekdays.
So what’s going on with this deceptive ad being plastered to sign posts around San Francisco? This ad is intended to confuse voters. It’s because supporters of Measure G can’t win without hiding the fact that they want to take away a park – a park that people love and makes our city even better and more beautiful.
My blood got boiling yet again when I checked my mailbox last week and found a campaign mailer that claims that “traffic injuries rose 34 percent in the Sunset” because of Sunset Dunes – and that returning vehicles would solve that. What?!?
First, that 34 percent is false. Mission Local checked the 34 percent claim against the City’s own crash data in August and found no increase in traffic injuries in District 4 since the park opened. The Frisc, in an independent analysis published in March using DataSF and SFCTA data, found that injury collisions on District 4 streets after the park was created are now below both pre- and post-pandemic levels.
That being said, I know Outer Sunset residents are experiencing dangerous driving, like speeding, running stop signs, and failing to yield to pedestrians. The SFMTA made a suite of improvements to slow speeds and create safer crossings at many intersections that are helping.
But more street design and enforcement solutions are needed in the Sunset – and citywide – because too many drivers are driving with no respect for our neighborhoods and safety.
Again, that’s why Sunset Dunes Park is so needed. If you feel the same, now’s the time to show it and help defeat Measure G:
- Pick up a Save Sunset Dunes sign at Walk SF’s office in the Mission on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-5
- Volunteer with the campaign to Save Sunset Dunes
- Share with friends and neighbors why we need Sunset Dunes Park now and forever
