BikeSD and The Climate Hub on Earth Day
BikeSD member Elizabeth Mayer rolled over to The Climate Hub press conference on April 22 in front of the University Christian Church. The press conference, on Earth Day, emphasized the shared commitment of The Climate Hub members and focused on the need to support solar energy.
The Climate Hub’s Tara Hammond coordinated the event that included speakers Council member Stephen Whitburn (City of San Diego District 3), Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines (Senior Minister, University Christian Church) and representatives from Climate Hub members San Diego Green New Deal, Hammond Climate Solutions, San Diego350 as well as other members of the community.
BikeSD is grateful to be a member of the Climate Hub and to support this event as we continue to make San Diego the world-class bicycling city we know it can be.
We will continue to do this by advocating for safer streets and greater cycling infrastructure that invites our neighbors to choose to ride their bicycles. If we all exchange even just one car trip with a bicycle ride – we’re making strides toward our region’s climate goals.
With greater cycling infrastructure such as what BikeSD’s board president Kyle Heiskala and Stephan Vance (Chair of San Diego Bike Coalition), expressed support for in their Opinion: Bikeways Are Needed to Safely Introduce San Diegans to Bicycle Commuting, more riding is the future.
Win for Bikes on Washington Street
Win for Bikes on Washington Street
On Thursday, February 11, 2021 the City of San Diego implemented a temporary protected bike lane. Some parking that forced bicycle riders into a shared traffic lane with cars traveling up to 50 or 60 miles an hour were removed and a restriping and flex posts were installed. This is a big symbolic victory for the bicycle community in San Diego which has been asking for safety improvements here for nearly a decade.
It was unfortunate that it took a tragic loss of life at this site to force change to happen. Many in the bicycle advocacy community have been advocating for safe bicycle lanes on Washington Street for nearly a decade as far back as 2013. The bike lane on the shoulder was painted over at some point around 2014 at the bottom of the hill at the India Street intersection to accommodate free parking. This dangerous condition existed for years after until on August 22, 2020 a bicycle rider was struck from behind and later passed away from the injuries. The City of San Diego's new Mayor, Todd Gloria, has demonstrated that there is a new administration in town, one that takes the safety of all street users into consideration. Will there be more like this to come?
In September 2020, BikeSD submitted a joint letter to the City Council and held a press conference calling on the city to install protected lanes on Washington Street. This victory is small but represents a potential shift in the City's actions to make our streets safer for all users.
Action Item: Send a Letter in Support of 30th Street Protected Bike Lanes to Mayor Gloria
Action Item: Send a Letter in Support of 30th Street Protected Bike Lanes to Mayor Gloria
Plans for the 30th Street Protected Bike Lane Project are on the verge of being implemented. We have been informed by city staff that we can expect repaving to begin in March, after AT&T installs their 5G infrastructure. Some of those who oppose the project are trying to delay the project further in the hopes that they can water down the current plan. Help BikeSD inform Mayor Gloria and his administration that we demand nothing less than the full implementation of a protected cycletrack along 30th street as soon as possible.
EVEN BETTER:
Write your own personal message to MayorToddGloria@sandiego.gov and please BCC: campaigns@bikesd.org. Modify this sample letter and copy/paste to your personal email app:
Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council,
I support the implementation of protected bicycle infrastructure on 30th Street in North Park. Thank you for your leadership and efforts to bring these improvements to our community. There are many benefits that these lanes bring, especially for health, environmental, and economic benefits. These myriad benefits extend beyond the bike and scooter riders who use the bike lanes, which can result in safer streets for all, less congestion, and ultimately less competition for already limited parking spaces.
While we recognize the need to use our streets for outdoor dining in the interim while our city endures the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot allow these short-term impacts to delay the City’s progress on creating a city-wide network of safe, protected bicycle infrastructure.
We urge the City of San Diego to continue with the implementation of these long-term improvements to 30th Street in the North Park community. It will enhance the safety of all residents and users of our streets and will ensure that San Diego is more resilient in the face of climate change and more residents can choose to go by bike. Many of the business owners along the 30th Street corridor will benefit from increased business and foot traffic through their stores. There is significant precedent for cycle infrastructure increasing business revenue and not all businesses are against the project.
To help achieve our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and achieving our Climate Action Plan mode share goals, investing in protected bikeways along neighborhood commercial streets like 30th Street is critical. Protected bikeways allow safe travel for people of all ages and will allow more people to choose environmentally beneficial mobility options like scooter and bike instead of making a car trip.
Sincerely,
_____________
Mobility Board Votes to Support Gilman Drive Segment of Coastal Rail Trail
The City of San Diego Mobility Board voted to approve the Gilman Drive Segment of the Coastal Rail Trail. The Coastal Rail Trail will connect Oceanside to Downtown San Diego, and the Gilman Drive section will more immediately connect UC San Diego to the almost completed Rose Creek Bike Path (which is being built by SANDAG as part of the Early Action program). The project will be implemented as a protected cycletrack (class IV) on both sides of the road from the I-5 interchange to La Jolla Village Drive. A dedicated bike traffic light and signal phase will also be added southbound at the entrance to I-5. Additionally, the gaps in the sidewalk on the west side of Gilman Drive will be filled in and a sidewalk will be added underneath the interchange with La Jolla Village Drive (where many students who live nearby have already created desire paths and are forced to play frogger with cars).
BikeSD is glad to see a protected cycletrack implemented. Not only is the current unprotected bike lane very narrow immediately north of the I-5 freeway interchange, it is made narrower by overgrown shrubbery from the canyon to the east. Combined with the curvature of the road as well as a 50mph speed limit, Gilman Drive as-is is a collision in the making. According to data from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there have been 15 reported bike rider collisions along the portion of Gilman Drive that will be renovated, from 2009 to 2019. Of course, many collisions also go unreported.
That being said, BikeSD has some reservations about the project. The project's estimated cost, $22 milion, is astronomical, and is due to the insistence of maintaining 12 foot travel lanes & a 50mph speed limit and adjacent street parking, as well as building retaining walls and working with sensitive lands. A much more affordable tactical project could have been completed with a road diet, particularly considering the lack of congestion on Gilman Drive, little parking demand south of Via Alicante, and the opening of the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension of the MTS Blue Line, which will reduce road demand even further.
Despite our reservations, this will be an important connection that will encourage even more San Diegans who are "interested but concerned" about biking to ditch their cars and help San Diego reach its Climate Action Plan goals of getting 18% of commuters to go by bike. While the project is still only partially funded, construction is anticipated to begin in Fall 2021. You can see the Mobility Board's discussion of this agenda item and the presentation by city staff via this link: Youtube
EDIT: A previous version of this article reported 11 bike rider involved collisions along the relevant section of Gilman Drive.That has been corrected to 15. The generated report can be found here.
See what its like to ride the notorious Washington Street uphill
BikeSD Advocates Ride Washington Street, not for fun
After a 65 year old cyclist was killed in a hit and run accident, BikeSD has been working to address Uptown bicycle route safety and get a previously deleted bike lane restored. In the first few seconds of this video its easy to see how the dangerous design of this roadway resulted in death. Our team had a few close calls themselves.
The current Class III painted “sharrows” in the second eastbound travel lane are not recommended by the State of California for speed limits above 35 MPH. However the posted speed limit is 45 MPH, and in the video cars can be seen travelling 55 MPH or more, with some motorists even exceeding 70 MPH. Forcing bicyclists into dangerous, high-speed traffic on a steep incline like this is a recipe for disaster. The City is also not notifying motorists that the road contains a bike lane, as the signage that was posted on the hillside has been removed, and the street cycling symbol on the road has been painted over. Along with being a designated ‘Bike Route’, Washington Street is the main connector to the Washington Street Trolley Station for residents of Mission Hills, Hillcrest and Bankers Hill.
We sent a letter to the Mayor asking the city to immediately address public safety hazards on the Uptown bicycle route at eastbound Washington Street and return the Class II bicycle facility on the south side of the road. We will continue to ask that the City prioritize residents’ lives and well-being over a dozen free parking spaces.
Help us restore the Washington Street bike lane until the completion of the SANDAG Washington Street Bikeway in this area. Contact your councilmember or the mayor’s office and tell them to restore the bike lane on Washington Street.