From the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department:
City Launches Next Phase of Improvements at Sunset Dunes as Students Head Back to School
Plan includes new signage, clear travel zones and enforcement to support shared use
Sunset Dunes is getting a fresh round of improvements to make the popular new park even more enjoyable and easier to explore, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.
The plan includes clearly defined zones for different activities, new signs and pavement markings to help guide visitors, and additional features to enhance the overall park experience.
As part of the park’s ongoing development, these upgrades are designed to benefit everyone — from children playing after school to seniors enjoying a leisurely coastal walk. The launch coincides with the City’s back-to-school season, a time when streets and public spaces receive added attention to keep them welcoming and accessible for all.
The changes will create two clearly defined zones: a Park Zone on the west side of the median and a Multi-Use Zone on the east side. The Park Zone will be a calm, family-friendly space designed for walking, yoga classes, play, picnics, community events and other relaxed activities. Non-motorized bikes or scooters will be welcome if ridden by children.
The Multi-Use Zone will be a shared space for cyclists, runners, walkers, scooters, and e-bikes or e-scooters. Users in this zone will be guided to keep to their right-hand side as they travel, helping everyone move more smoothly and predictably. In both zones, users will be reminded that pedestrians always have the right of way at crosswalks.
“Sunset Dunes has become a beloved community space in just a few months,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “As we head into the warmest time of the year, we expect its popularity to continue to grow. These changes will help provide clarity while balancing the needs of all visitors, making sure everyone can make the most of this beautiful oceanfront park.”
To help visitors understand the new layout, temporary signs will be installed on light poles and A-frames starting next week, with park rangers on-site to answer questions. The signs will alert visitors to where they can enjoy different activities and carry messages such as “Ride Slow, Say Hello” In addition, pavement stencils will be added at intersections to guide behavior with clear markings like “Yield,” “Shared Pathway,” and “Look.” SFMTA is expected to complete the stencil work in approximately four to six weeks.
“Sunset Dunes is a beautiful outdoor area, and we want to make it easy and enjoyable for everyone to find their way and share the space, whether they’re walking, biking, or riding a scooter” said Julie Kirschbaum, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “We’re grateful to Recreation and Parks, the SFPD and our City partners for working with us to make Sunset Dunes a vibrant and welcoming place for neighbors, families, and visitors alike.”
Additionally, the San Francisco Police Department will conduct spot enforcement to ensure responsible driving of e-bikes and e-scooters at Sunset Dunes and JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park as part of its back-to-school traffic safety initiatives.
Sunset Dunes continues to evolve based upon community feedback. Longer-term improvements include adding more amenities to the Park Zone to encourage recreation and slower travel, continuing outreach with stakeholders, and monitoring the park’s main entrances at Lincoln, Judah and Noriega to ensure smooth access.
“As kids head back to school, Sunset Dunes and JFK Promenade are two of the safest, most joyful routes for walking, biking, and rolling,” said Robin Pam, Executive Director of Streets For All San Francisco. “Clearer guidance on where people should walk, bike, or drive will make it easier for everyone to share the space, help kids travel to school more safely, and ensure these parks remain vibrant public spaces where our community can connect and play.”
Sunset Dunes opened in April, transforming two miles of the former Great Highway from Lincoln Way to Sloat Boulevard into a vibrant, 50-acre surfside park.
Categories: Press Release
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Hmm, I guess it only took two injuries (one elderly and one child) in two different incidents where a bicyclist struck a pedestrian to FINALLY make the changes that several people asked for – including one change.org petition.
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This miserable stolen ‘Park’ has made the greater adjacent Sunset neighborhoods FAR LESS SAFE, as the stunted 17,000 cars a day race through the Neighborhood, trying to make up lost time in the stop-n-go Sunset grid.
Lied into existence by calculated deceptions, paid for by the greedy Developers thirsty for Profits on Luxury Condos, and now High Rises, the corrupt government agents responsible are Pushing to Colonize the ‘Park’ with Maximum Haste, before the results of the Lawsuit Contesting the Legality of Stealing an in-use Major Arterial Highway are Decided and Known!
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“stolen Park” …typical NIMBY reply…as if the Great Highway was your private roadway! The Sunset Dunes Park has become one of the most utilized parks in the city and available to ALL city residents every day of the week. And it’s likely you haven’t even seen it.
Luxury high rises and condos along the park? Really…how does that work? Even if a developer wanted to construct buildings there, the California Coastal Commission would never approve them.
“FAR LESS SAFE”…tell that to the family and friends of the person who was struck and killed by a car on the Great Highway and Rivera on 12/31/24, which was the last recorded fatality in the city for the year. Does that sound safer to you? That section has since been closed and now it is safe!
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They’re correctly referring to the process by which Joel Engardio lied, took money from Billionaires, had secret meetings with Google lawyers and other dark money groups that he scrubbed from his official record, (a crime), put the ballot initiative on at the last possible minute, and funded a series of dishonest and shameful groups to promote lies. It was stolen because of the process, not the result.
If you can’t understand that the ADU program in SF was originally designed and passed as a way to lower RENTS for lower class RENTERS, you probably didn’t notice Engardio deciding to strip rent control away either. YIMBY doesn’t mean sellout, unless you are a sellout like Engardio. You decide what you are, but don’t go around calling other people names that you don’t even understand.
Prop K was a farce, a lie, and a theft against CA law and good governance. Only idiot transplants support the dishonest process that brought it to a head.
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This press release probably has more to do with safety concerns rather than guidance upgrades to promote ease of use. The truth is the park was dangerous from the get-go as dogs, toddlers, speeding e-bikes and scooters all shared the road in one giant free-for-all. I truly hope no one has been seriously injured. Proper planning, site surveys and respect for community input would have caught this issue much sooner.
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Hey Bill. Every been to JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park? There are plenty of e-bikes, regular bikes, skaters and scooters there along with dogs, toddlers So, I guess we should ban them all as well? Have a nice day!
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I certainly didn’t say we should ban anyone. You may want to re-read my comments. Glenn – I am arguing the City did not really plan this thing out well. It was rushed and haphazard – careful implementation with community input would have fixed this up front. I am not against the park, just the way it came about. This was not done properly. Hoping we all learn some lessons here.
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Wouldn’t smart thinking speeding bikes , e-bikes and e-scooters divert Sunset surface streets? Then they can blow stop signs, ignore, decency, and not worry about police enforcement just like all the diverted cars and trucks that Joel took off the great highway.
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“That “miserable stolen “park” has actually made the Great Highway safer than before! The last recorded traffic fatality in 2024 happened on December 31, when a woman was struck by a vehicle and killed on the Great Highway and Rivera. Someone, please tell the relatives and friends of that woman who was killed that the section was safer prior to closure as part of a park!
Luxury condos and high rises…really? How will that happen? Apparently some people have not heard about the California Coastal Commission which was formed to regulate development along the… . The Commission would not allow any such development, especially the kind envisioned by the misinformed.
Ah yes and stealing a “major arterial highway”. Unfortunately, some residents in both the Sunset and Richmond Districts have come to regard the Great Highway as their exclusive roadway and beware anyone who tries to take that away! Did someone say, “miserable stolen park”?
NIMBYism is alive and well in the Sunset, The Sunset Dunes Park can now be enjoyed by ALL residents of the city, any day of the week. Indeed, according to City Park officials, thousands visit every week making it second to only Golden Gate Park.
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Now only second to Golden Gate Park? I thought the approved Lux Luthor talking point was always third…the third most visited park in San Francisco.. I’ve seen that over and over . You should check with the Dear Leader before you get too far out over your Duneskis
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The escaped dementia patient who was struck was the first fatality in 30 years. She was crossing outside of the crosswalks, jaywalking, illegal.
Stop lying, Engardioites.
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So on one side we will have yoga classes (WTF?), food trucks, commercial events and the other will be relegated to walkers?
The place was much better before all this commercialization happened. Read the book “Parks for Profit.” That is what this is about! 😦
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