San Francisco's Great Highway transformed into Halloween party, highlighting Measure K debate
On Sunday afternoon, San Francisco's Great Highway was transformed into a massive Halloween party for kids.
It highlighted the ongoing debate about whether the road, which is closed to traffic on weekends, should be permanently closed to cars to create a new public open space. But neighbors in the area nearby say they'll be the ones paying the price for it.
There was no shortage of visitors to the Great Highway or as it was called on Sunday, the "Great Hauntway."
Thousands of kids and their parents showed up to strut their costumed stuff and snag some candy in the process. But along with the treats, there was also a generous supply of political messaging in favor of Measure K, a city-wide ballot initiative that would close the Great Highway to cars permanently.
"Obviously, today is extraordinary. There's so many thousands of kids out here," said Measure K volunteer Peter Belden, dressed in a Superman suit. "But by making it a park, we increase access and make it accessible to more people and by making this a park, it enables us to restore the habitat and also reduce some of the runoff pollution that comes from vehicles."
"This was actually land owned by San Francisco Parks and Rec. And this was put in as a highway in the 1930's," Measure K supporter George Davis pointed out. "Just when they closed it off part-time, this has become the third most visited park in the city."
"I think it's spectacular," said Meredith Benton, as she steered her kids through the crowd. "We come on Sundays. It's empty, the kids can ride bikes, we run around and it gives us a lot more open space in a kind of crowded-feeling city."
But there is also a crowded feeling in the neighborhoods next to the closed highway. On Sunday, Suzanne Sandidge was barely able to get her car to her house.
"I had to wait through seven cars coming until finally I just made my way. I mean it was kind of scary," she said, wondering what will happen if the measure passes. "It's just going to be madness. I don't like it. Too much traffic."
The argument of those opposing the closure is that public events like the Halloween gathering are rare. They said on most weekdays the area around the Great Highway is deserted, but with the road permanently closed, all the cars that normally travel during the commute will funnel into their neighborhoods.
"The argument is, if you close the road the cars are going somewhere else or they're going to go away. Well, the cars aren't going away," said neighbor Fred McFadden.
The southern end of the Great Highway is scheduled to be closed in early 2026 because of natural coastal erosion. If the entire highway is permanently closed, the city's plan is to try to shift cars east to Sunset Boulevard, but neighbors say they will inevitably cut through the residential streets.
"They closed it permanently during Covid and that was really bad because it was 24/7. And now every weekend, I'm impacted," said McFadden. "The traffic goes up, everybody's pushed down to the Lower Great and to the other avenues."
"There's a faction of folks that don't like cars," said Measure K opponent Steve Gorski. "And so, anytime they can get a chance to take away a street from cars, they do it."
And they think it's unfair that the vast majority of people voting on Measure K will stand to benefit while only the neighbors will suffer the consequences.
"Because it's city-wide, the majority of city dwellers who are not familiar with this area, and don't live here, are going to vote 'yes' and close that road permanently, 24/7, and we're going to be afflicted, impacted, with the four-lane road closed," said McFadden.
Opponents point out that Measure K doesn't create a new park, there's no money to do that. It would only shut down the roadway.
But supporters say that's the first step in creating something new. With Measure K, everyone will have a say in what happens, whether they have skin in the game or not.
