Editor:

There is no need to close the Upper Great Highway (UGH) to cars on weekdays. Between Lincoln and Sloat, UGH is not falling into the ocean. South of Sloat, yes, we all understand that stretch of highway is slated to close and is imperiled by erosion, but north of Sloat is fine and can be maintained. It is deceptive and misleading to conflate what is happening south of Sloat with conditions north of Sloat. Why do supporters of closing the UGH resort to these deliberately misleading tactics? 

It’s no problem if they need to close the section from Sloat to Skyline. The utility of UGH as a vital artery from north to south is still there. A few blocks up Sloat, just past the Zoo, you can go right on to Skyline. And if you’re going north, from Skyline, it’s just a few blocks west to UGH.  The ocean front park is there for everyone whether UGH is closed or not. It’s called Ocean Beach. 

Advocates for permanent closure of UGH to cars claim they have respect for the natural environment, but the increased activity may lead to dune erosion and otherwise damage habitat. Without an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the public cannot be informed and able to make the right choices. At least one environmental group has already requested an EIR:  Why is it that the City has not yet started an EIR on this project? What are the City’s plans for environmental review? Pushing stop-and-go traffic onto nearby neighborhood streets will increase air pollution from exhaust fumes and make the roads more dangerous for pedestrians.

The beautiful natural environment, an expanse of sand and sea and sky that offers a respite from the busy city, will now be marred by painted pavements, installations, food trucks, canopies and marquees, markets, events, parties and all the detritus of human activity in what an uninterrupted vista of natural beauty was once. Some people just want to live inside a video game; they don’t want nature.

One of the biggest problems with Prop. K is the way it got on the ballot. Five supervisors put Prop. K on the ballot unannounced and at the last minute, leaving no time for an opposing ballot measure to be submitted. If not technically illegal, it is neither ethical nor democratic. No community input, no questions answered, no concerns addressed, no residents included in writing the measure, no discussion by the supervisors. Just a yes or no vote to permanently close the UGH, mostly by voters who don’t use it and will rarely, if ever, go there.

Even the language of Prop. K is misleading: “The restrictions on private vehicles have enabled people of all ages and all walks of life to safely recreate by the coast next to Ocean Beach by using the Upper Great Highway as a promenade for walking, jogging, biking, scooting and rolling.” You don’t need any additional restrictions on private vehicles to accomplish this. The UGH was already closed to private vehicles from noon on Friday to 6 a.m. Monday and every holiday. The rest of the time there is Ocean Beach on one side and a broad promenade on the other side for people to engage in “walking, jogging, biking, scooting and rolling.”

The UGH should not be closed to traffic on weekdays and this should never have been put to a citywide vote or put on the ballot. It’s wrong on all counts.

David Romano