Editor:

From my home facing Ocean Beach I’ve been daily observing and photographing trucks, emergency vehicles, sand removal equipment, and the occasional car driving on the closed Great Highway/Sunset Dunes Park. Clearly, this 4-lane highway that was driven on by nearly 20,000 vehicles every day when it was open, had not lost its utility at the time of its closure, nor has it lost its utility yet. My photographic proof indicates at least one or more vehicles drive on it nearly every day.

I observe daily the Lower Great Highway and 48th Avenue being used as alternative routes, especially weekdays during rush hours, by all types of traffic including commercial vehicles and motorcycle brigades that avoided our residential streets when they were able to use the Upper Great Highway instead. The Highway was preferred because it was faster and safer, as drivers could travel 30 mph nonstop for 2 miles without dangers of cross-traffic at intersections.

EMT’s were rarely called to an incident involving an injury caused by a car on the Great Highway; timed lights and seven wide crosswalks guided beachgoers east and west across it. Not only did this safely designed Highway protect pedestrians, drivers, their passengers, and bicyclists who pedaled alongside traffic on wide road shoulders, it protected the National Wildlife Sanctuary within the sand dunes from unrestricted foot traffic trampling over and destroying their fragile habitat. Now, several vehicle collisions per week occur between Lincoln and Sloat, 19th Avenue and the beach, many on and near Sunset Blvd where the City attempts to divert the voluminous traffic.

The Great Highway is badly needed as a safe north/south route for drivers during the week to get to hospitals, schools, jobs, construction sites, businesses, the airport, and as a way to avoid adding congestion and gridlock to other routes.

Let’s bring back the compromise, safety to our streets, and acknowledge that the occasional heavily attended recreational activities on Sunset Dunes Park are weekend activities. There’s no reason to not share the road with people needing to drive on it during the week and with people wanting car-free recreation on weekends and holidays.

Judi Gorski