A couple strolls along a car-free street in Golden Gate Park during a Sunday Streets event. Courtesy photo.

**PRESS RELEASE**

Experience over six miles of car-free streets on June 9 as Sunday Streets connects JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to the Great Highway and down to Sloat Boulevard. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The free event gives attendees a chance to experience open space and reclaim our streets for health, exercise and human connection.

The Sunset/Golden Gate Park route connects with SF Recreation and Park’s car-free Sundays on the east side of JFK Drive. Activity hubs will be located inside the park at Spreckels Lake by the Bison Paddock and at the Murphy Windmill, just inside the park near the intersection of MLK and Lincoln Drives.

While Sunday Streets usually brings open space to neighborhoods that lack it, this event is unique in that expands upon car-free routes in the city’s premier open space on the city’s west side. As the City explores making some streets permanently car-free, Sunday Streets lets San Franciscans envision how that might look and feel in the world-class park.

“As we head into Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary next year, Sunday Streets helps us imagine how we can use our park in the next 150 years as we respond to climate change and embrace sustainable transportation as the primary mode of getting about our city and open spaces,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg.

Sunday Streets’ longest route of the season is advertised by the organizers as an ideal place for both new and experienced bike riders – along with roller-skaters, scooter-riders and people who use wheelchairs – to take in the beauty of the coastline and world-renowned park without worrying about car traffic.

Free bike rentals from Ford GoBike, skip and JUMP will be readily available, along with SF Bicycle Coalition’s Freedom for Training Wheels program, which teaches toddlers and young children to ride a bike without training wheels in a safe, patient environment.

Inspired by the Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, Sunday Streets is a series of free, fun open street events empowering local communities to transform one to four miles of car-congested streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, organizations to connect and neighbors to meet. Over a mile of cultural performances, health resources, live music and open space provides free opportunities for all at ten yearly events.

Non-profit Livable City runs both Sunday Streets and Play Streets, a program empowering neighbors to transform their block into an accessible, car-free open space on a regular basis. Both programs are sponsored by the SFMTA and other City agencies, and Sunday Streets would not be possible without services like Muni bus re-routing or traffic control officers for public safety.

Small businesses, residents, nonprofits and local groups bring activities, volunteers and performances to the car-free routes, with each contributing a distinctive character and energy to the day. A local hire program employs San Francisco residents for outreach and event-day support.

Transforming miles of car-dominated City streets into open space is possible through the collaboration and hard work of hundreds of volunteers, neighbors, nonprofits and small businesses. Donate, exhibit, volunteer or sponsor Sunday Streets in 2019 to be part of a sustainable, greener and more accessible future. For more information, visit www.SundayStreetsSF.com.