SF's Sunset Dunes will change next week in response to series of accidents
Scott Mace
SF's Sunset Dunes will change next week in response to series of accidents
By Kasia Pawlowska,
Local Editor
Aug 20, 2025
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/sf-sunset-dunes-safety-changes-next-week-accidents-20826166.php
Cyclists
and dog walkers alike take advantage of the Great Highway
closure alongside Ocean Beach just after 3 p.m. on Thursday,
June 17, amid a Bay Area heat wave.
Sunset Dunes, San Francisco’s newest park, opened to the public in April, yet the two-mile stretch of road that was once the Great Highway has been mired in controversy since Prop K was put on the ballot over a year ago. The measure passed, but the city’s residents — particularly in the Sunset District — remain heavily divided for a host of reasons. Among them are increased traffic on residential streets and the overall decision to close the thoroughfare without adequate input from those who would be most impacted by the change.
Safety is also a significant concern.
Since its opening, there have been a handful of publicized accidents in Sunset Dunes, mostly involving bicyclists and pedestrians. Recently, a four-year-old was “sent flying” when a man on an e-bike slammed into her, CBS News reported.
In response, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department
and SFMTA are setting out to make the park safer, and plan to
create a “Park Zone” on the west side of the park’s median, and a
“Multi-Use Zone” on the east side.
The family-friendly Park Zone will be bike- and scooter-free —
unless children are riding them — and intended for activities like
picnicking, strolling and yoga. The Multi-Use Zone will be
designated for bicyclists, e-bikes, e-scooters and runners.
Bicyclists
traverse the Upper Great Highway in San Francisco, Calif. on
June 7 2021. The road was closed to vehicular traffic early
in the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a socially distanced
outdoor space for nearby residents.
Signage announcing the upcoming changes will go up by early next week, according to Tamara Aparton, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. Stenciled pavement signage delineating the new zones should be completed by SFMTA in about four to six weeks, she said. During that time frame, park rangers will also be on-site to address any questions.
“Longer-term improvements include adding more amenities to the Park Zone to encourage recreation and slower travel,” a press release from the department read. In the meantime, the San Francisco Police Department will conduct spot enforcement to make sure visitors are riding bikes and scooters responsibly — electronic and otherwise.
There are no speed limits for bikes and scooters in the park, but
the concept is not out of the question.
“Along with SFMTA, we are always evaluating and fine-tuning how
Sunset Dunes operates to make sure it’s an enjoyable place for
everyone,” Aparton wrote in an email to SFGATE. “There aren’t any
additional changes to announce right now, but we’re continually
looking at what makes sense as the park evolves.”