Great Sleep from San Francisco is now a park. Not everyone is happy

The anti-car policy of this beach in California angered some, but has improved the quality of life for many others.

It is only about 5 kilometers along Ocean Beach, by the sea, but for almost 100 years this road was nicknamed Great Sleep from San Francisco.

During the pandemic, this iconic road in San Francisco, California, was closed to cars to make room for people to exercise staying socially distanced. And it was not the only place: by several zones of California Fstreets were ecked during Covid-19 to give way to parks or areas of exercise.

As a return to normality, the city reached a commitment to this road: drivers complained the space during the week, while exercise practitioners had it for weekends.

Only The section was in poor condition: Fishing sand often requires expensive and long cleaning, and part of it is really degrading and has already been cut.

They therefore decided in 2022 to convert the space into a park in 2022. “The conversion of the Upper Great Highway on a cars stroll began during the Covid-19 pandemic and provided one outdoor leisure for families, people in bicycles and wheelchairs, people with wanderers or other mobility assistance devices, people with baby strollers and people to Walk, run, skateboard And much more ”, reads in the City Council.

On weekends, 7,800 people visited the park every day. During the week, 3,400 people visited him daily. These numbers make this the third most popular park in San Francisco during the week, advances the.

But there are still those who are not happy with the project. Some of the park’s critics entered the town hall on Thursday, carrying full card boxes with what they claimed to be about 11,000 resident signatures From Sunset District, where the old motorway is located, which opposed the creation of the park.

“This whole city is anti-car,” commented a disgruntled resident, Alyse Ceirante. “We are already fed up.”

However, there are also those who liked the idea. Lauren Crabbe, the executive director of the popular local cafes Andytown, said sales at her store near the beach increased 20% since the opening of the park. “There is certainly a part of the neighborhood that is suffering from the road,” he admitted.

But many residents believe that The city is cleaner and healthier. Ryan Laberge, a resident who now goes to the place, comments, “Driving was great, but having it that’s the most fixed thing in history.”