Two streets in William Land Park could close to car traffic for two years as part of a pilot program, according to a proposal distributed at a Land Park Community Association meeting last week.
The pilot program is part of a January proposal made by Sacramento City Council members Rick Jennings, Eric Guerra and Phil Pluckebaum that called for reviewing the park’s current and proposed uses, its public safety at night and ways to make it less dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We already started moving because we think this is the right thing to do for this community,” Jennings said Thursday at the meeting, which he attended with his chief of staff Dennis Rogers.
The streets that would be closed in the pilot are 12th Avenue between Riverside Boulevard and 13th Street, and 13th Street between 11th Avenue and 13th Avenue. They are the interior streets of the panhandle portion of the park, which is a popular picnic area and the location of the park’s playground.
“This is really something that we think is going to be an asset for everyone because of the fact that you’re going to be able to have your kids… come to a car-free place,” said Rogers.
The larger portion of the park, which includes the nine-hole golf course, would be unaffected by the pilot program. But council members want to review traffic safety for pedestrians and cyclists throughout the park’s street network, which the proposal notes “would not be recommended for approval today.”
The potential street closures were hailed by Kristina Rogers, president of Land Park Community Association, whose members originally brought the idea to Jennings’ office.
“This would give kids of all income levels, all families to be able to come and learn how to bike ride safely and also how to rollerskate,” she said Friday in a phone interview.
Deb Banks, executive director of Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates also praised the move, saying that a complete closure during the pilot would be better than having streets closed to traffic only on certain days.
“People are busy,” Banks said. “So knowing that the street is going to be closed and that they can get on it with their kiddos, to teach them how to ride a bike or to skate or scoot or whatever it is, walk their dogs, then they know that it’s a safe place and that it’s going to be there, available to them.”
Rogers said that the move would not require council approval.
JFK Drive in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park was closed to traffic in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the move was made permanent. It is now known as the JFK Promenade.
“Along the route, visitors can enjoy art installations, public pianos, rest stops and enhanced entrances featuring seating and lawn games, and live music,” the San Francisco Recreation & Parks website notes.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 11:29 AM.
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Graham Womack is a general assignment reporter for The Sacramento Bee. Prior to joining The Bee full-time in September 2025, he freelanced for the publication for several years. His work has won several California Journalism Awards and spurred state legislation.