Should Twin Peaks’ View Be Open to Cars?
Have your say about Twin Peaks’ future. Should Twin Peaks be open to cars?
Twin Peaks is a beautiful and unique destination for San Francisco residents and visitors alike. The Twin Peaks Boulevard gates were closed early in the pandemic to reduce crowding at the lookout point parking lot. The gates were closed on the north, at Burnett Avenue, and the south, at Portola Drive. Since then, Twin Peaks Park use by hikers, joggers and people on bicycles has increased significantly with an average of over 800 visitors each weekday and over 1,100 on weekend days.
While the new park configuration received support, they are also significant community complaints, particularly from:
- San Franciscans who love the viewpoint and are unable to walk or roll all the way up the hills
- The tourism industry, for whom the viewpoint is one of our more memorable sights
- Nearby neighbors who have complained about parking, noise and crime caused by park visitors
In an attempt to address these concerns, the south end gate at Portola Drive was opened in September daily between 6:00 p.m. and midnight to provide local access to the top of the peaks for people driving. However, some unresolved issues remain, so the SFMTA is working with the community and other city departments including Rec and Park, SFPD and Public Works on new ideas to ensure access and balance needs at Twin Peaks.
Twin Peaks Park and the viewpoint should be accessible for everyone. Our goals for the new designs include:
- Restoring access to the viewpoint, especially for people with disabilities
- Providing a space for people walking and rolling that allows for physical distancing
- Reducing negative impacts by park users on neighbors
- Retaining the extraordinary increase in new park users by maintaining safe, continuous routes for those traveling on foot, bicycle and assistive mobility devices.
SFMTA has proposed a set of ideas that attempt to balance the needs of the community. They’re asking for feedback to understand how each option might work and the input will help them determine an option (or combination of options) that they should pursue as a final proposal.
They are now taking feedback on these proposals in English, Chinese, Spanish and Filipino. The survey will be open until Tuesday, November 3. Once the survey is closed, the feedback will be analyzed, and a final proposal will be developed and shared with the community.
