Steven Greenwald at Tuesday's meeting speaking about

San Diego City Council Adopts City's First Bicycle Advisory Committee

Earlier this week, on Tuesday, San Diego's City Council unanimously approved the creation of the city's first Bicycle Advisory Committee. This was a goal that was originally proposed in the 2002 city adopted bike plan, the city's second plan to accommodate bicycling.

City Bicycle Advisory Committee, first proposed and adopted in 2002 bike plan. Finally created in 2014.

Getting this committee established was one of our goals for our second year of existence (we launched as an organization in 2012). The composition of the committee calls for each Councilmember adopting one appointee and the two appointees made by the Mayor. Districts 4, 6, and 7 do not have a representative yet, so if you live in these neighborhoods now would be a nice time to get to know your elected representatives at City Council.

The current members of this new advisory committee include the following:

  • Petr Krysl, involved with bicycling planning in UCSD where he is also a professor, representing District 1
  • Nicole Burgess, who has been asking for improvements on Nimitz for as long as this website has been in existence, representing District 2
  • Kathleen Keehan, former executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition from 1999 to 2011, representing District 5
  • Randy Van Vleck, Active Transportation Manager at the City Heights Community Development Corporation, representing District 9
  • Andrew Hanshaw, current executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and founder of Bike the Bay, representing District 3
  • Kyle Heiskala, who led a successful student fee referendum at UCSD for bus and light rail access representing District 3
  • and myself, Samantha Ollinger, representing District 8.

If you're not sure what all the District numbers mean, here is a link to a neat map that visually shows the entire city and its council districts.

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Steven Greenwald speaking about "designated bike lanes" and bike trains on Tuesday. Screenshot from City Council webcast

At the Council session on Tuesday, the item to approve the committee was scheduled to be on the consent agenda (essentially voted on without any discussion), however frequent Council Chambers visitor and occasional mayoral candidate, Steven Greenwald, asked for the item to taken out of consent and open for discussion. He was the only member of the public who spoke about the item and he spoke in support of it. He voiced support for "designated bike lanes" and asked that the city look to Vancouver for inspiration. He also talked up bike trains, which Nicole Burgess has been leading in Ocean Beach, and Veronica and Sandra have been leading in Mid-City. Greenwald also mentioned that not all drivers were "sensitive to the fact that bicycles have a place in transportation".

All councilmembers provided positive comments.

Marti Emerald (District 9) stated that perhaps even she could one day be on a bicycle, but that she was "petrified" to ride in traffic today.

Mark Kersey (District 5) thanked Kathy Keehan for her willingness to serve.

Sherri Lightner (District 1) thanked Petr Krysl for his willingness to serve.

Lorie Zapf (District 6 and soon to be District 2) thanked the entire group of committee members and recalled her experience of riding with Burgess and spoke about the needed changes to accommodate the upcoming bike share program as well and changes at Nimitz Boulevard and where the I-8 meets the dog park.

David Alvarez (District 8)  spoke about the Climate Action Plan and commended the current District 2 staff that ride to their jobs at City Hall.

Ed Harris (interim Councilmember in District 2) seemed a bit surprised that the issue of bicycling had made a dent at City Hall and made generally positive comments as well.

Scott Sherman (District 7) spoke about the positive effects of seeing more people on bicycles.

Todd Gloria (District 3) stated that this was simply a formalization of the work that all of us had done to date. He also mentioned that the work done in the city to date were "modest" but wanted to see work sped up. Gloria also mentioned that the bike share program was scheduled to launch on October 30th this year. Gloria emphasized that this committee would be working with city staff to advise them on the work that needed to be done.

Emerald made a  motion to approve the creation of the Bicycle Advisory Committee and newly re-elected Councilmember of District 2 (to be seated in November) Lorie Zapf seconded the motion.


Morena Boulevard Station Study calls for improvements along Morena Boulevard

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The Morena Boulevard project area highlighted in yellow. Source

The Mid-Coast Light Rail Trolley is one of the transit projects proposed by SANDAG in their 2050 Regional Transportation Plan and is currently going through the planning and design phase:

The Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project will extend Trolley service from Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego to the University City community, serving major activity centers such as Old Town, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Westfield UTC.

The project proposes station stops at Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, Nobel Drive, Pepper Canyon, Voight Drive, Executive Drive, and Terminus Station.

The Morena Boulevard Station Study covered the area that would include the stops at Tecolote Road (in the Linda Vista community) and Clairemont Drive (in the Clairemont community).

Included within the project's study scope was recommendations to improve mobility: bicycling and walking and removing focus from designing only for cars and instead designing for people.

Source: Morena Station Study documents
Source: Morena Boulevard Station Study documents

The mobility/transportation components broke Morena Boulevard into four segments: South Morena Boulevard, Tecolote Bridge, North Morena Boulevard, and Clairemont Bridge.

Image via SANDAG
One day, San Diegans will get to ride a trolley from Old Town to UCSD. Image via SANDAG

The year long community outreach process resulted in three alternatives which included good design proposals for safe and comfortable bicycling, Much thanks go out to our members Michael Muhammad (who until late last year served on the Clairemont Planning Group prior to moving to Long Beach, CA) and Kelly Cummings both of whom were instrumental in being a voice for safe and well designed bicycle facilities along Morena Boulevard as part of this process.

Below are the alternatives proposed for South Morena Boulevard. The alternatives were labelled: moderate, conservative, and aggressive.

Here is what South Morena looks like today:

South Morena Boulevard today. Very car friendly and very people unfriendly.
South Morena Boulevard today. Very car friendly and very people unfriendly.

This was a design proposed for safe bicycling on South Morena in the future.

Design proposal for Morena Blvd by KTU&A
Design proposal for Morena Blvd by KTU&A

Today Tecolote Bridge looks like this:

Tecolote Bridge today
Tecolote Bridge today

In the future, Tecolote Bridge could look like this:

Proposed design for Tecolote
Proposed design for Tecolote Bridge. Source: Morena Boulevard Station Study.

Today North Morena Boulevard looks like this:

North Morena Boulevard today.
North Morena Boulevard today. Two vehicle lanes in each direction, substandard bike lane, parking on one side and no street trees

In the future, North Morena could like this:

Proposed deisn for NOrth Morena
Proposed design for North Morena

Today Clairemont Drive at Morena Boulevard has a lot of challenges as noted in the proposed plan:

The recommended solution for the Clairemont bridge crossing plan must address the existing issues that make it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to mix with vehicles on the freeway overpass. The proposed solutions strive to improve the overpasses by providing facilities that buffer and protect pedestrians and cyclists while maintaining efficient vehicular traffic flow. Additional improvements are also included at the East Mission Bay Drive intersection with Clairemont Drive to provide better connections to the existing trail system around East Mission Bay.

If the design solution for the centerlane cycletrack sounds a little familiar, it is not unlike what was proposed here for Balboa Avenue by Michael Sullivan.

In the future, the Clairemont Bridge could look like any one of these solutions:

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Proposed design for Clairemont Bridge

In addition to the bike improvements to improve mobility, the focus of the study was also around increasing population density along the transit corridors. This has resulted in some vocal opposition, the subject for a future post.


A Ride with Candidates in District 2

By BikeSD Board Member Nicole Burgess

I want to send many thanks to both Sarah Boot and Council Member Lorie Zapf for taking the time to experience a ride through District 2 with BikeSD. Both women listened and experienced our concerns for safety and the need for many improvements.

Last fall, BikeSD member Michael Muhammed and I escorted Sarah Boot by bike through many areas of District 2, including the busy intersection of Nimitz Blvd and Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Thank you, Sarah, for being brave and taking the challenge of cycling through this busy area of high vehicle traffic.

This past month, board member Austin Graves and I escorted Lorie Zapf and staff Kelly Batten along Morena Blvd to the Nimitz intersection. Although we did not take on the challenge of cycling this area, we were able to observe the difficulties and discuss the challenges to cyclists and pedestrians.

Both of the rides took the candidates throughout the many different types of bike facilities:

  • Class 1 - a protected bike path along the San Diego River Trail
  • Class 2 - bike lanes (some that included green paint or buffered bike lanes) and
  • Class 3 - signage for a suggested bike route but no actual paint markings or sense of comfort.

It was clearly evident that our comfort level was affected as we traveled between the different types of facilities. It was also troublesome to note that many of the inconsistent bike lanes are due to Caltrans' lack of facility improvements.

Here is a great example of the transitions between facilities that were experienced during the ride with Lorie Zapf. After enjoying a very comfortable class 1 protected bike path along the San Diego River Trail, heading north on South Morena Blvd. through freeway interchanges that have no bike facilities was unnerving. At one point, Lorie asked if we could ride on the sidewalk through that section due to her fear. I encouraged her to stay confident and go with the flow of traffic as there are no curb ramps for these sidewalks. After we traveled through this area we reached the improved lanes of buffered bike lanes and green paint. At the traffic light, we discussed how our experience changed when we entered the improved section. We were so relieved. We went from being totally scared and stressed to relaxed and comfortable! The relaxing experience was thanks to simple paint and our city staff Brian Genovese, who led installation efforts. But as previously noted, Caltrans is not doing their part to provide safe facilities in their right-of-way, which is the main reason we are lacking continuous bike facilities in these dangerous areas. I hope Council Member Zapf will take initiative to work with Caltrans to improve these high-conflict areas near freeway interchanges.

The vision of Nimitz Blvd as a Neighborhood Greenway from I-8 to Harbor Drive is a priority for Bike Walk San Diego District 2 (formerly known as the District 2 Pedestrian Bike Advisory Committee). There is great potential and much community support to provide a protected bike facility connecting the San Diego River Trail to the class 1 bike path along Harbor Drive. Since a section of Nimitz Blvd will be resurfaced in the next few months, we hope that these women can influence Caltrans to improve the facilities near the dangerous I-8 intersection so that riders will not be left to defend themselves through the absence of bike lanes. New paint will help with these efforts but grade separation is truly what is needed. Nimitz Blvd is one of SANDAG’s Early Action Projects and we hope that our future council member will be able to support and expedite this project as an important corridor for the city. As Supervisor Ron Roberts stated in support, “Nimitz Boulevard is a community asset that connects schools, parks, beaches, bays, military installations, trails, recreational activities, and much more. This highly anticipated revision of Nimitz Boulevard would create a safe connection that is needed in this community. By providing more transportation options, it also will enhance regional connectivity.” Supervisor Greg Cox stated, “The creation of a class-1 bicycling facility along Nimitz Boulevard will not only provide an aesthetically pleasing greenway through the Point Loma community, it will ensure that our children and residents using the route and are able to safely transport themselves along a very busy corridor.” We look forward to continued support for the Nimitz corridor to become a reality.

I believe the rides were a great experience for both candidates and they each understand the need for better bike infrastructure in District 2 and throughout the city. Thank you again to Council Member Lorie Zapf, Kelly Batten, Sarah Boot and BikeSD members Michael and Austin for taking the time to discuss the need for better bike facilities in District 2.


District 2 Elections Candidate Questionnaire: Lorie Zapf

For San Diego to compete in the global economy and provide the safety and quality of life that San Diegans deserve, our leaders must embrace a 21st Century vision for our streets that puts well-being of people first. BikeSD supports candidates for public office who will champion safe, complete and livable streets.

As our new mayor was the councilmember for District 2, this council seat is now vacant (and temporarily occupied by Ed Harris). Four candidates are running for the District 2 council seat: Sarah Boot, Jim Morrison, Mark Schwartz, and current Councilmember in District 6, Lorie Zapf (now residing in the newly re-districted District 2).

Below is the responses received from Lorie Zapf in response to the BikeSD questionnaire.

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Councilmember Lorie Zapf riding at the most recent CicloSDias. Photo: Zapf campaign
Councilmember Lorie Zapf riding at the most recent CicloSDias. Photo: Zapf campaign

Do you ride a bicycle in San Diego for any purpose?

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to ride bikes with my family. Since my daughters are still fairly young, we mostly ride along Class I bike paths or trails, usually around Mission Bay or along the San Diego River.

During my first term on the City Council, I have been pushing for better, safer access for bicyclists, whether they ride on City streets or on designated bike paths. I am proud of my work with the San Diego River Conservancy and the San Diego River Park foundation to create one contiguous bike and walking path from the mountains in East County all the way out to the beach. Later this month I will be participating in the ribbon-cutting for the San Diego River Multi-Use Pathway Project, along with Mayor Faulconer and Councilmember Sherman.

Please share your impressions and experiences of bicycling in San Diego.

San Diego’s awareness and focus on bicycle safety has come a long way during my first term, but there is still a lot of work to be done. During the past three years the City has implemented sharrows, green lanes, bike corrals, CicloSDias, and we’re well on our way to having an amazing bike share program.

We have some great Class I bike paths that give riders a sense of being one with nature and allow them to enjoy the outdoors and beautiful weather we have here. On the other hand, I have also ridden on our City streets and seen how some of our Class II bike lanes come to a sudden end with no connection. This is why I put forward a Resolution to Prioritize Bicycle Infrastructure Improvements to Enhance Public Safety. My resolution was unanimously approved by the City Council, but the portion my office drafted about improving bike infrastructure near freeway on and off ramps was removed.

While the resolution did achieve some of my intended goals including prioritizing projects that enhance connectivity and improve ridership, directing city staff to plan and develop bicycle-friendly projects, and establishing staff positions for bicycle projects, I was disappointed that the City Council missed an opportunity to send a strong message to Caltrans about the importance of fixing where freeways connect to surface streets.

What will it take for you to ride to work at least once a week to work at City Hall? What are the bottlenecks that you foresee you can help eliminate to make it safe for you to ride to work?

Sometimes for events that are out in the district close to my home, I am able to bike there and I really enjoy it. In my younger days when I lived in Lake Tahoe and Huntington Beach, I commuted to work by bike regularly. I wish that this was still something I could commit to doing, but unfortunately my commute would take more than one hour each way by bike, and that is not feasible with my schedule. This is a great reason why I’m such an avid supporter of the upcoming Mid-Coast Corridor Trolley extension, and why I’m pushing so hard for SANDAG to include bike lockers and safe access for bicyclists to navigate their way to and from the new stations. The planned Morena station is a quick 10-minute ride from my house, and this would make it easy to bike to the trolley and take the trolley to City Hall.

The City has not established a goal to increase the percentage of trips made by bicycle in the city’s newly adopted Bicycle Master Plan. What will you do when elected to establish that goal within the plan’s implementation strategy?

When I’m out talking to the community about bikes, the most common reason I am given for why people choose not to commute by bike is safety. It isn’t enough to have a Bicycle Master Plan and double our bicycle infrastructure if the public doesn’t feel safe out on the streets. I’ve worked in District 6 to make conditions safer for bicyclists, and I will continue to do that for District 2.

As the Chair of the Committee on Smart Growth and Land Use, I’ve been working tirelessly to ensure that the City is on track with implementing our Bicycle Master Plan, and have requested that Streets Division update the my committee on their efforts. I also invited the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition to give their input so we can work together on best practices and common-sense implementation, so that the improvements that we make are really the best investments for cyclists.

In addition, education about bikes will be a huge component of increasing trips made by bicycle. I was pleased to allocate money from my office budget to help events like CicloSDias, which is a fantastic way to promote biking and raise awareness. I want to see events like this in every neighborhood in the City. I have also been working with SANDAG to ensure the Mid-Coast trolley stops have pedestrian and bicycle access to locations such as Mission Bay and Mission Beach.

When DecoBike finally arrives in San Diego this summer, I anticipate that we will see substantial increases in bicycle trips made in the service area. I have strongly supported establishing a bike share program because it will not only raise awareness, but help close the “last mile” problem for people who use public transportation.

During my first term I have worked with bike advocacy groups to bring attention to bicycling and bike infrastructure. I firmly believe that, by continuing to make progress on the initiatives we have been working on, and by bringing in new ideas, we can market and advertise bicycling as a viable transportation option to locals, and substantially increase the number of trips made by bicycle in San Diego.

Do you support a wide, continuous, physically separated green bikeway the full length of Nimitz Boulevard?

I support a separated bikeway along Nimitz Boulevard. It is not only an important route for daily commuters, but also has great potential for visitors and tourists by connecting our beach communities to our Port, Harbor Drive, and Downtown.

Ideally, that street is a perfect candidate for study and improvements by The Green Lane Project, which was one of the reasons why I submitted a letter of support for our application. While San Diego was not selected this year, as the District 2 Councilmember, I will fight to establish a safe bike path that would connect a number of our beaches, schools, and parks.

Our biggest obstacle, like so many other City projects, is identifying funding. In my current Council District, my office was able to identify funds from the Balboa Avenue Revitalization Project to address some bicycle safety issues along Balboa Avenue. I made that request a few years ago, and staff has begun working on adding green lanes and ground sensors so bikes can trigger streetlights and cyclists don’t have to run red lights.

I am already aware that SANDAG has prioritized safer bike access on Nimitz through the Early Action Program, but I believe it can be possible to move up this project on the priority list by having the City provide the funding for the design and the environmental impact reports. As a current Councilmember, I already have the knowledge and experience to find funds for bicycle improvements on Nimitz, as well as throughout the rest of the district, which will be a priority for my next term.

Implementing Protected Bike Lanes (cycletracks) on Nimitz Boulevard has been on our priority list since 2012. The city has been promising to put in green bike lanes (without any protected facilities) in conjunction with the resurfacing effort which has been delayed at least four times. What will you do to ensure this doesn’t happen any more in District 2?

First and foremost, I have fought to make sure our city is fiscally responsible, and during my 3 ½ years on the council, we have been able to continually improve the City's finances. This makes it possible for us to go back to providing our core services, including street paving, which directly impacts our ability to implement bike infrastructure. By continuing to find savings in the city, we can focus on making sure our streets get paved, and that they get paved on time with an awareness to cycle tracks and bike safety in mind.

I have seen firsthand some of the possible areas of short-term improvements on Nimitz, with the permanent goal being Class I bike paths along the entirety of the road. Just along Nimitz, I am most interested in the connecting ramps to Famosa Blvd, and the ramp farther down connecting West Point Loma Blvd. I will ask Traffic Division for an analysis, with the intention of implementing green lanes at those particular sections, and making the ramp to West Point Loma bike-only, so that cars would make a right turn at the lighted intersection. Chatsworth and Nimitz is another intersection that could benefit from short-term improvements, especially for our youth commuting to and from Dana Middle School. Lastly, I believe that most of the lanes along Nimitz are wide enough and could be narrowed through lane restriping, which would provide enough room for buffered bike lanes.

As we continue to increase funding for road repairs I will be more than happy to work with our Multi-Modal Section in our Traffic Engineering Department to ensure the community’s input is heard make progress on Nimitz. I have always fought for the streets in my district and I will continue to do so.

One of the San Diego’s biggest challenges to safer bicycling is the freeway merges that are under the purview of Caltrans. What will you do in your term as councilmember to ensure the redesign and construction of at least one freeway ramp for the safety of all road users, including drivers?

Freeway interchanges are big expensive projects that ideally should have initially been built with bicyclists and pedestrians in mind. During my current term, the City Council authorized the design of a new freeway interchange off the 163. I was the only City Councilmember to ask the engineering firm to consider the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians when they create the designs for this new interchange.

Starting this year, San Diego has an incredible asset when it comes to dealing with state departments and agencies. District 2’s own State Assemblymember Toni Atkins will be sworn in as the Speaker of the Assembly on May 12th. I am planning on scheduling a meeting with Speaker Atkins to discuss Caltrans issues following her new role. I have a history of working with our state representatives on both sides of the aisle to improve road safety in San Diego. In 2012, I partnered with then-Assemblymember Nathan Fletcher and Senator Marty Block to reform the San Diego Service Authority for Freeway Emergencies (SAFE). Our legislation freed up more than $12 million dollars for public safety and motorist aid. I am confident that I will be able to work with Speaker Atkins to make progress in dealing with Caltrans.

I understand that changes to freeway interchanges are complicated and expensive undertakings, but they are a necessity, particularly when we’re talking about the safety of those who use our streets. We shouldn’t be asking bicyclists and pedestrians to risk their lives crossing these freeway merges, and I look forward to partnering with the Assembly Speaker to bring this issue to the top of Caltrans’ priority list.

If you could wave a magic wand, what does your vision of a more bicycle friendly San Diego look like?

I would like for San Diego not only be creative in pioneering infrastructure that works well for our unique neighborhoods, but also to adopt the best practices implemented in other bicycle-friendly cities. I would like to see more barrier-protected bike lanes on our streets, even if it is something as simple as a curb-barrier, or having a bike lane in between a sidewalk and a line of cars that are parallel parked. While we are never going to get rid of the high-speed surface streets like Balboa Avenue, we should be looking at median bike lanes like Washington D.C has implemented along Pennsylvania Avenue.

New housing developments and infill development should include bike infrastructure and access, as should all growth in public transportation. I want BIDs, public buildings, and office buildings to have bike racks and bike corrals, so bicyclists have somewhere safe to lock up their bikes when working, shopping or eating. I also want to work with Mayor Faulconer to stop the practice by Purchasing and Contracting of leaving out the bike lanes and gutters when streets are resurfaced. When we pay to resurface a street, it should be for the benefit of all users, regardless of their mode of transportation.

San Diego is the perfect candidate to be a world-class bicycling City. I believe we have a Mayor that shares that vision, and I know he and I will work well together for the benefit of the residents and tourists in District 2.

Below is a map of District 2. If you live in the shaded area, you should be paying attention and getting ready to vote.


To learn more about Councilmember Lorie Zapf, visit the campaign website or follow her on twitter. The BikeSD endorsement policy is available here.


District 2 Elections Candidate Questionnaire: Sarah Boot

For San Diego to compete in the global economy and provide the safety and quality of life that San Diegans deserve, our leaders must embrace a 21st Century vision for our streets that puts well-being of people first. BikeSD supports candidates for public office who will champion safe, complete and livable streets.

As our new mayor was the councilmember for District 2, this council seat is now vacant (and temporarily occupied by Ed Harris). Four candidates are running for the District 2 council seat: Sarah Boot, Jim Morrison, Mark Schwartz, and current Councilmember in District 6, Lorie Zapf (now residing in the newly re-districted District 2).

Below is the responses received from Sarah Boot in response to the BikeSD questionnaire.

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Sarah Boot (on left, on bike with basket)
Sarah Boot (on left, on bike with basket)

Do you ride a bicycle in San Diego for any purpose?
I believe that bicycling is a fantastic way to enjoy San Diego’s natural beauty, stay fit and be kind to our environment. I enjoy bicycling in District 2 particularly in the beach communities and around the Bay. I recently participated in CiclosDias in Pacific Beach and enjoyed riding among so many community members of all ages. When the rigors of campaigning conclude, I look forward to further integrating cycling into my regular routine.

Please share your impressions and experiences of bicycling in San Diego.
Recently, I was able to go on a ride-along with BikeSD ambassadors throughout District 2. When you ride, it is immediately clear that bicycling can be a frightening and dangerous experience. It is jarring to ride along streets that are riddled with potholes and bordered with craggy rough edges. As a rider you are forced to choose between navigating the roughest and worst worn edges of the street, or brave riding in the center of the road in the middle of traffic. Busy intersections do not integrate even basic bicycle infrastructure making many areas extremely dangerous to navigate. This mirrors my experiences cycling in other parts of the city. Our communities lack even basic structural accommodations for cyclists. Our bicycle infrastructure has historically been an afterthought in urban planning, and our streets reflect this. This must change. I plan to take the lead on these issues if elected and will be a strong advocate for bicycle related issues.
What will it take for you to ride to work at City Hall at least once a week?

Consider it done.

Residents of San Diego should have the opportunity to commute via bicycle safely. I am happy to commit to riding to City Hall once a week or more. I have
long been a proponent of greener ways to get to work, and, for that reason, I rode the trolley to work every day. Our elected officials need to lead by example, and also experience firsthand the challenges that cyclists currently face. We need to change the culture of the road, making drivers more aware of bicyclists and more used to accommodating them as they drive. I look forward to using my platform as a City Councilmember to help raise that awareness.

What are the bottlenecks that you foresee you can help eliminate to make it safe for you to ride to work?
My route to City Hall would involve a ride along Hancock Street – a corridor with no current bicycle infrastructure and where cars travel at high speeds. Hancock merges into Kettner Blvd, at an intersection dangerous for cyclists. The remains of the commute would be through downtown, where, given the density of car traffic, foot traffic and the chaos inherent to any urban core, challenges are rampant. There are many opportunities to alleviate some of these problem areas using best practices implemented in other cities.
Adding a dedicated green bike line or even a protected bike lane along Hancock street would go a long way to making the route safer. Additionally, looking at the downtown grid for areas to add bike lanes would be beneficial, slowing traffic on certain streets and encouraging drivers to pursue alternate routes, and allowing bicyclists a better protected throughway.
Do you support a wide, continuous, physically separated green bikeway the full length of Nimitz Blvd?
Absolutely. Nimitz Blvd is a critical cycling artery connecting downtown and the beach communities. It is a high speed corridor where bicycling remains
challenging due to the lack of a dedicated lane. Implementing this solution is a no-brainer. Our city needs to recognize that implementing bicycle infrastructure
is integral to public safety and make solutions like this one a priority.

Implementing Protected Bike Lanes (cycletracks) on Nimitz Boulevard has been on our priority list since 2012. The city has been promising to put in green bike lanes (without any protected facilities) in conjunction with the resurfacing effort which has been delayed at least four times. What will you do to ensure this doesn’t happen any more in District 2? 
A need for bicycle infrastructure should elevate the priority of road repair. It is clear that this has not been the case on Nimitz. Using the resources that we have
effectively is one of the reasons that I am running for City Council. We need to pursue smart solutions to our infrastructure backlog, and this is a great example
of how that has not been done in the past.

The City has not established a goal to increase the percentage of trips made by bicycle in the city’s newly adopted Bicycle Master Plan. What will you do when elected to establish that goal within the plan’s implementation strategy?
Setting goals and measuring progress toward them is an essential part of any strategy. Our city’s Bicycle Master Plan is no different. Successful master plansin other cities are characterized by the inclusion of goals and provisions to measure success in reaching them. Portland’s first Bicycle Master Plan is a great example. By setting goals and measuring progress, they quadrupled the number commuting cyclists from 1996-2010. Now, their Bicycle Plan for 2030 continues raises the bar, aiming to improve the integration of bicycle transportation even further. As a Councilmember I would be a fierce advocate for the integration of measureable goals into our Bike Master Plan, as this is the best way to ensure accountability and progress.

One of the San Diego’s biggest challenges to safer bicycling is the freeway merges that are under the purview of Caltrans. What will you do in your term as councilmember to ensure the redesign and construction of at least one freeway ramp for the safety of all road users, including drivers?
I would work hard to develop relationships with leaders (of all political stripes) across the county to work together to set appropriate transportation priorities
like this one. I would also seek to be appointed to SANDAG so that I could serve as a voice for cyclists as regional decisions are made about transportation. In
that role, and by working cooperatively with agencies like Caltrans, the police department and the city, I would strive to establish the redesign and
construction of a selected freeway ramp as a “pilot”. The likely increase in public safety as a result would incentivize the redesign and construction of other
freeway ramps in the future.
Encouraging interagency cooperation and crafting long term solutions are the marks of successful leadership. During my time as a federal prosecutor, I was
well versed in working with various government agencies to address serious and intractable problems. I plan to use these same skills to advocate for a long term
expansion of bicycle infrastructure and use.

If you could wave a magic wand, what does your vision of a more bicycle friendly San Diego look like?
I would like to have the ability to safely travel via bicycle from any point in the city to any point in the city. It’s a simple and achievable goal - but one that will
require strong leadership.
San Diego has passed a Bicycle Master Plan - which is a great start - but there is much that is left to do. We must ensure that within the plan we set measureable goals and make the serious investment required to achieve them.  It will also take working with allied groups on these issues. For example, taking
concrete steps to build out bicycle infrastructure and encourage cycling is acritical element of the Climate Action Plan. Ensuring that the plan moves forward
and is implemented will take a strong advocate on the council. I have already demonstrated this leadership by working with community leaders in Pacific Beach to draft the initial plans for the first eco-district in District 2.
Eco-districts present another opportunity to bring stakeholders together to encourage cycling access at the neighborhood level. Ultimately, I would like to see a change in the culture of transportation in our city and region. The concept of “if you build it they will come” has been borne out statistically in cities that have prioritized and implemented bicycle infrastructure. If you provide for safe bicycling, people cycle. This doesn’t require a magic wand, but it does require steadfast commitment. I look forward to bringing that commitment to City Hall.

Below is a map of District 2. If you live in the shaded area, you should be paying attention and getting ready to vote.


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To learn more about Sarah Boot, visit the campaign website or follow her on twitter. The BikeSD endorsement policy is available here.