Days before SF's Great Highway reopens as Sunset Dunes, supervisor eyes reversal of Prop K

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Just days before San Francisco's Great Highway officially reopens as a 2-mile, 43-acre coastal park, now named Sunset Dunes, there's a new push to reverse Proposition K.

Fifty-five percent of San Francisco voters approved the measure in November, in order to close the stretch of the highway to cars 24/7.

"I see it as a huge takeaway, as a taxpayer, I hate it," Eric Shackelford, an Outer Sunset resident, said. "You know I've been paying taxes here for what, 45 years, and now here it is, I'm being endangered because of stupidity."

It's been closed to cars for about three weeks.

RELATED: San Francisco set to open and name newest park along portion of Great Highway

But according to our media partners at the San Francisco Standard, traffic on nearby streets has more than doubled during peak commute times, and neighbors like Shackelford have taken notice.

"It's a lot worse," Shackelford said. "41st in and out of the park is really difficult, really dangerous, like I said. My life has been threatened twice going into the park just by drivers who can't handle it."

This has prompted a recall effort against Prop K supporter and San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio.

In a column posted in the Richmond Review over the weekend, Supervisor Connie Chan proposed taking Prop K back to voters, but said it would hinge on whether the effort to recall Engardio makes it to the ballot this year.

"In the event of a citywide election this year, I will explore a ballot measure to keep Upper Great Highway open to vehicular traffic Mondays through Fridays," Chan wrote in the Richmond Review.

RELATED: SF's Great Highway is now permanently closed to cars. Here's what happens next

Chan added that she would like to keep it closed for recreation on weekends.

"We just voted on this in November and San Franciscans chose a park and not only that, but they're already loving the park before it even opens," Lucas Lux said. Lux is president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, formerly Friends of Ocean Beach.

He says crews have been busy preparing the park over the past few weeks, putting in seating, local art, a new bike play area for kids and more.

But in order for Chan's effort to even see a ballot, he says, she's facing an uphill battle requiring support from other supervisors.

"There's a lot of hurdles that need to be overcome, the recallers need to get their signatures, which we hope they don't. The six votes to municipalize a citywide election and then the four votes specifically to sponsor a measure to overturn K," Lux said.

Supervisor Engardio told ABC7 he thinks that it's highly unlikely a majority of the board will vote to enable a special citywide election before June of 2026.

The 'Coastal Kickoff' event reopening the park as Sunset Dunes is happening on Saturday, April 12 at 11:30 a.m.