We’re going to vote yet again on whether cars should be allowed on the Great Highway, or at least we are if District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong has his way, as he’s introducing another ballot measure, but he only has six days to do it.

The removal of cars from SF’s Great Highway was one of San Francisco’s most controversial issues of 2024, even after the ballot measure banning cars from that thoroughfare passed by a 55%-45% margin. That did not satisfy angry Sunset District residents, who promptly recalled Supervisor Joel Engardio for his spearheading of the drive to transform the highway into the pedestrian park that we now call Sunset Dunes.  

There was more news on the Sunset Dunes/Great Highway front this week, when a San Francisco judge dismissed a lawsuit from Sunset residents who wanted cars back on the highway. But that legal decision might not even matter, because newly appointed District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong is taking matters into his own hands.

The Chronicle reported Thursday night that Wong is vowing to bring a repeat ballot measure on the Great Highway back to San Francisco voters in hopes of getting cars back on to the Great Highway. The Chron says Wong wants the measure on the June 2, 2026 primary election ballot, which, oh, just so happens to be the very day that Alan Wong would be up for reelection as District 4 supervisor.

“The 14,000 daily commuters didn’t just vanish when the highway was closed. They were pushed onto neighborhood streets and other corridors throughout the west side and the rest of the city, which is why any single road may not appear overwhelmed, but the cumulative impacts are undeniable,” Wong said in a statement to KQED. “Ultimately, I have to prioritize street safety and the needs of those commuting to work, taking their kids to school or going to the Veterans Affairs hospital over weekday recreation.”

Supporters of the park are calling out Wong's “street safety” statistics as complete baloney.

“Supervisor Wong was unable to explain even the most basic details about his proposal at a town hall last night, including how much it would cost taxpayers to rip out the city's third most visited park to replace it with a failing road,” Friends of Sunset Dunes president Lucas Lux said ina Thursday statement. “Instead, he willfully misrepresented data about traffic injuries to back up this political stunt rather than engage in thoughtful policymaking. We hope his colleagues honor the will of San Franciscans and let him play out this stunt as a solo act.”

Meanwhile, Mission Local throws some cold water on the idea of Wong getting this measure on the June 2 ballot. Namely, he only has six days to do this! In the words of Mission Local, “Wong has to file the measure to the Department of Elections by next Tuesday, January 13, with signatures from three other supervisors.”

Supervisor Connie Chan has advocated for the same do-over vote herself, and it seems like she’s a solid maybe for joining this effort. “It’s his district,” Chan’s legislative aide Robyn Burke told Mission Local this week. “Now there’s an election going on [in District 4], and it’s a different landscape than it was early last year.”

Okay, those are carefully parsed words and that did not sound like a strong statement of support. Supervisors Chyanne Chen and Shamann Walton have both expressed interest in bringing cars back to the Great Highway, but neither has commented publicly on Wong's proposal.

Alan Wong now has six days to get three supervisors to sign on with him, and to get the measure before the Board of Elections. Mind you, Wong has been in office for all of 40 days, and he has never passed a piece of legislation under his own name.

So this would be a pretty ambitious first attempt. And we’ll learn a lot more about Alan Wong’s ability to get things done at SF City Hall over the next six days.

Related: New D4 Supervisor Alan Wong Comes Out Against Car-Free Great Highway, Wants a Do-Over With Another Ballot Measure [SFist]

Image: Friends of Sunset Dunes via Facebook