Why San Francisco's Great Highway is full of pedestrians on weekends

Closed to cars two days a week, San Francisco's Great Highway is leading the way in post-pandemic urban change. Photo: AFP

The Great Highway in San Francisco is a traffic artery unlike any other in the United States. On weekends, this major thoroughfare is closed to cars and exclusively reserved for use by pedestrians.

The extension of an initiative first unveiled during the first lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic, in the spring of 2020, it's become a firm favourite among the city's inhabitants.

It's not the road to hell, but rather a slice of paradise paved with good intentions for city dwellers. The Great Highway, a divided highway on the western, Pacific Coast edge of San Francisco, is an example of post-pandemic urban transformation.

When the city was locked down to stop the spread of Covid-19, the San Francisco City Council blocked motor traffic's access to this major road along more than five kilometers, much to the delight of hikers, cyclists, strollers and families.

This stretch of asphalt became a meeting place for strolling and admiring some nature in the very urban metropolis that is San Francisco. Something they had never previously dreamed of!

With the resumption of normal activity, or at least closer to normal, some locals complained about an increase in traffic in the downtown area. So City Hall opted for a compromise.

As of last August, cars have been able to drive on the stretch of the Great Highway in question on weekdays, while the rest of the time it will be reserved for pedestrians.

"The use of the Great Highway during this pandemic has revealed what we can do to provide our residents and families more opportunities to enjoy the west side of our city," said the city's mayor London N. Breed in a press release.

Embodying post-pandemic urban transformation, this site is an example among many others of how inhabitants of cities around the world are undertaking campaigns to reappropriate urban space.

Next to the coastline, it was recently featured in the New York Times' 2022 list "52 Places for a Changed World". – AFP