**San Francisco’s Sunset Dunes Park Adds New Safety Zones Following Bicyclist-Pedestrian Collisions**
San Francisco officials are rolling out key safety upgrades at Sunset Dunes Park after several crashes and near-misses involving cyclists and pedestrians in the 50-acre surfside space. The city will add fresh signs, fresh pavement markings, and split the park into two separate zones to lower the chance of collisions and make the space more welcoming for everyone.
**Safety Concerns at Sunset Dunes**
The park opened in April after city voters agreed to close a stretch of the Great Highway to cars, and it quickly became a favorite for locals and tourists. City planners estimate that about 30,000 people stroll, jog, and bike through the park every week. However, the absence of clear signs and separate areas has pushed walkers, joggers, cyclists, and kids on bikes and scooters onto the same paths, resulting in several crashes.
Vanessa Chamberlain, a mother who visited the park recently, shared a scary memory from August 9. Within five minutes of arriving, a man on an e-bike bumped into her 4-year-old daughter.
“She went down on her knees and rolled,” Chamberlain said, her voice still tight. “We were scared stiff about her neck and her head. She had a cut on her scalp and some road rash there.”
Later, doctors said her girl was lucky not to have been hurt worse. “I could have buried my daughter that day,” Chamberlain went on. “That’s why I keep pushing for a rule change. Next time, it could be somebody else’s kid who doesn’t walk away.”
### New Park Zoning and Rules
Because of worries like Chamberlain’s, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is drawing up new lines for Sunset Dunes Park.
**West side (ocean side)**: A calm space for families to walk, play, and ride non-motorized bikes or scooters.
**East side**: A livelier stretch for runners, joggers, skateboarders, rollerbladers, bicycles, and e-scooters.
Fresh signs and pavement graphics will show what’s allowed where. Temporary notices on poles and A-frames will go up soon, and permanent signs will be in place by the end of September. Park rangers will roam the space to answer questions and help folks learn the new rules.
Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Sunset Dunes, says city leaders are paying attention to what neighbors say, and the park will keep getting better because of the community’s ideas. “The park is already really safe,” Lux explained. “My son learned to ride a bicycle there. It’s the one spot in my whole neighborhood where I can let him ride a quarter mile in front of me—and he’s only four. There’s not another place like that in the whole city.”
Community Response
Some folks who use the park like what’s changing, while others think more could be done. Susie Leader, who rides a tricycle there every week, shared that a friend recently got hurt in a crash. “If we don’t work together, we’re putting each other in danger,” Leader said. “We already have a mix of bicycles, different speeds, and kids who are just learning to ride, some of whom are out of sight or way ahead of their grown-ups.” Leader is hopeful that the new zones and signs will make the park safer, but she still worries about runners and bikes sharing the same paths.
Shannon Gordhamer, who was enjoying the park with her family that day, said, “When e-bikes zoom past, and you’ve got runners and walkers who aren’t alerted by families, it just feels cramped and risky.”
The accident that injured Chamberlain’s kids now keeps her family away from the park. “They absolutely need rules for anything with a motor. No speed limits, it’s just too open right now.”
### Looking Ahead
The recent safety notice for Sunset Dunes Park shows how San Francisco is working to keep the space fun for everyone and to stop crashes from happening. The new slow zones, movable signs, and extra ranger support should keep families, cyclists, and all park goers from bumping into one another.
City leaders plan for these temporary changes to be in place right away. Permanent signs and safety upgrades should be done by the end of September. While the park still pulls in tens of thousands of visitors each week, these safety steps should help make sure everyone can be along the ocean front in a way that is responsible and respectful, whether they are walking, biking, or just playing.
