Proposition N is one of the lesser known measures on the ballot this year. You probably haven’t seen campaign posters for it or even heard of it. So why did our Board endorse it?
Proposition N plays an important role in meeting our goal to make Golden Gate Park safer and more accessible. It would pass authority of the parking garage that is located below the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park from the Concourse Authority to the Recreation and Parks Department. It’s that simple!
The 800-spot parking garage has been underutilized for years and the rates are currently too expensive for most people who need to drive to visit the park. Right now it costs $5.25 per hour Monday-Friday and $6.25 per hour Saturday-Sunday.
The Concourse Authority, a small board of stakeholders, was created in 1998 by ballot measure to oversee the construction and operation of the parking garage underneath Golden Gate Park. Construction was completed in 2006 and since the early 2000s, the Concourse Authority no longer holds regular meetings. If Prop N passes, the Authority will be dissolved and their management responsibilities will be taken over by Recreation and Parks.
One of the main arguments brought up against the car-free JFK Promenade was that it removed a lot of free parking spaces people relied on to visit the park, especially lower income families, seniors, people with disabilities, or those who live far away. By passing responsibility of the garage to Recreation and Parks, we can more easily reduce the parking rates and make improvements to the garage, such as creating subsidized parking or adding secure bike lockers.
Recreation and Parks has already begun facilitating positive change to improve accessibility in the park. They extended the free drop off period in the garage to 15 minutes so that people can drop off passengers at the elevators that take you directly inside the museums. The SFMTA also added a new lot of ADA parking spaces behind the Concourse. RPD and SFMTA are additionally making improvements to roads throughout the park so people can easily access the remaining 6,300 free parking spots in Golden Gate Park. The addition of Proposition N to these already implemented projects would make a big difference in the Departments’ work to improve access and safety.
Voting Yes on N brings us one step closer to a safer and more accessible Golden Gate Park while preserving the car-free JFK Promenade.
Join us in voting Yes on N!
