2020 Candidate Questionnaire - Mayor: Bry, Gloria
Candidate: Barbara Bry —
1. What are your top 3 priorities for improving the biking experience for residents and families in San Diego
- Addressing safety issues between bicyclists and vehicles
- Update of San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan
- Educating youth about the importance of bicycle safety and expanding their bicycling experiences
2. San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan needs updating and projects need prioritizing in order to create a complete bicycle network. A large number of street resurfacing projects need to be restriped with bicycle infrastructure. How would you propose to fund the full build-out of the bicycle network needed to achieve the Vision Zero goals and meet the Climate Action Plan mode share targets?
Achieving our Climate Action Plan goals needs to be our most important priority in the work ahead for the next mayor, not just adopting plans, but making the hard implementation decisions. Bicycles are important to help meet our Climate Action Plan goals. I think it is important to have an honest discussion and assessment of the costs and seek realistic funding streams to meet the Bicycle Master Plan, including any potential revisions to the plan. We need to be engaged in looking at potential new dedicated funding streams and other possible funding sources. We need to make certain there is accountability of city staff to meet the plan’s benchmarks on our short-term and mid-term goals, and be realistic that with any long-term plans, there must be flexibility to look at new alternatives that were not realistic, cost effective or even known at the time of the planning. There will be a real discussion about future public transit at MTS, SANDAG, and how that plays in our Bicycle Master Plan. Also, when planning resurfacing and future bicycle infrastructure we need to audit our street maintenance, powerline undergrounding and public transit schedules to determine other possible cost off-sets. Too many times politicians will propose grand ideas without consideration of the actual cost, community input and buy-in on the final plan. I learned at city council that without sitting down with stakeholders, city staff, reviewing the costs and potential funding streams, elected officials will not be able to fulfill those promises.
3. Transportation is the largest source of San Diego’s greenhouse gas emissions (55%). The City’s Climate Action Plan bicycle mode share goals are 6% of commuter trips by 2020 and 18% by 2035, from about 1% today. What steps will you take to make sure these goals are met or exceeded?
Our city has lurched from one decision to the next in response to crisis, without engaging in necessary research, discussions, planning, nor has it held people accountable for implementation. We have seen this with delays in street repairs, increases in our unsheltered population, failure to achieve our affordable housing goals among other things. Because city council failed to make tough decisions, we are not meeting our Climate Action Plan goals. The current council has worked to move in a different direction, taking affirmative action. We are now approving housing with inclusionary along transit coordinators, we passed Pure Water, started installing protected bike lanes and now are debating real public transit options. I think it would be unrealistic to lay out a plan without having proper community input, without including city staff in the discussion, and without legal counsel. It is why we got into this problem in the first place. I will promise to develop a plan that seeks to exceed our Climate Action Plan, that includes community input, an honest cost assessment, realistic funding streams, includes legal counsel and is attainable and deliverable. I hope your organization will at the table for this discussion.
4. Safe bike lanes often face opposition due to slower road speeds or reduced street parking. How would you work with the community to address concerns without compromising safety or delaying bike infrastructure in the name of consensus?
I think it goes back to bringing together all those impacted parties for input towards a final decision, giving them a voice, active listening, but also being honest and realistic that, with competing interests, not everyone will get everything they want.
5. Please share a memorable experience(s) you have of bicycling.
First, my husband is an avid bicyclist who loves when traveling to explore on a bicycle. My own memorable experience was the 17 Mile Drive in Monterey. Also, I have two grandchildren living in San Diego. I look at bicycling through their eyes. How do we make this city accessible for them to be safe bicycling in their own neighborhood and, when they grow-up, being able to bike to work, and to explore the city and our amazing backcountry.
Candidate: Todd Gloria —
1) What are your top 3 priorities for improving the biking experience
in San Diego for residents and families?
Road repair. Poorly maintained roads mean poor biking conditions. I fought to enact and
protect SB 1 funding which more than doubles the amount of annual funding from the state
that goes to City of San Diego roads. My administration will ensure that those funds are used
to fix our streets and make them safer for cyclists.
Complete Streets. I believe we should prioritize the creation of more complete streets
throughout our city and where appropriate. These safer street designs, including separated
lanes, can make our roadways safer for all forms of mobility.
Complete the network of bike lanes planned throughout the region. As Mayor, I will use the
authority afforded by AB 805 at SANDAG to ensure that the network of regional bike lanes is
prioritized.
2) San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan needs updating and projects need prioritizing in order to
create a complete bicycle network. A large number of street resurfacing projects need to be
restriped with bicycle infrastructure. How would you propose to fund the full build-out of the
bicycle network needed to achieve the Vision Zero goals and meet the Climate Action Plan
mode share targets?
During my time in the State Assembly, we passed Senate Bill 1 to fund road repair and
infrastructure improvements at the local level. With this increased funding coming to the City,
my administration will focus these dollars on those projects and look to provide the
infrastructure necessary to give San Diegans more choices on how to get around our city. In
addition, I intend to use the authority granted to the City under AB 805 to take leadership roles
at SANDAG. This is crucial to make the necessary investments to not only build a world-class
public transportation system, but to also give San Diegans more mobility choices.
3) Transportation is the largest source of San Diego’s greenhouse gas emissions (55%). The
City’s Climate Action Plan bicycle mode share goals are 6% of commuter trips by 2020 and 18%
by 2035, from about 1% today. What steps will you take to make sure these goals are met or
exceeded?
I envision a clean transportation future for the City of San Diego and I will fight to enact strategies that offer true mobility options, reduce congestion, conform to the City’s Climate Action Plan and prioritize safety while encouraging economic growth. We are currently at a crossroads where infrastructure needs are growing, transit ridership is declining, and the disastrous effects of climate change pose a real and imminent threat. San Diego must begin to take transformative action immediately. By prioritizing clean transportation options and leveraging the City’s assets and regional influence, I will be a Mayor that prioritizes a world- class transit system, connected communities with safe walkable and bikeable streets, along with freshly paved local roads. Together these will make up a network to serve our 1.3 million residents and the millions of additional people that enter the City each day to work, patronize local restaurants and businesses, and recreate at our parks and beaches.
4) Safe bike lanes often face opposition due to slower road speeds or reduced street parking.
How would you work with the community to address concerns without compromising safety or
delaying bike infrastructure in the name of consensus?
In order to meet our climate action goals, the City needs to invest far more aggressively in
separated bike lanes and other infrastructure throughout the City in order to encourage
bicycles and other non-motorized transportation options as a safe alternative to driving. Of
course whenever such changes are proposed in any community all stakeholders should be
heard and have an opportunity to weigh-in so the best decisions can be made. Careful
consideration should also be made as to how the loss of parking spaces can be mitigated by
installing angled parking on nearby side streets, which can often make up for many of the lost
spaces. This has been the case in my experience, when parking was removed on Park Boulevard
for the Rapid Bus lane, and on University Avenue for dedicated bike lanes.
5) Please share a memorable experience(s) you have of bicycling.
I have enjoyed biking to work, whether as part of an organized event or on my own to promote
clean transportation and get some exercise. Riding up 5th Avenue from Downtown through
some of my favorite neighborhoods is always a good experience for me.
Foto Friday: A weekend to look forward to
The weekend you've impatiently been waiting for is finally here.
Tomorrow, San Diegans will experience some of the city's best bicycle infratructure and taste some of the world best beer at Bikes & Beers.
While the initial run of tickets sold out, you begging and pleading the organizers of Bikes & Beer to let you join in, melted their cold, cold hearts and they issued 80 more tickets for sale that is just waiting for you to purchase. So don't delay. Remember, BikeSD benefits from this event which promises to be most excellent. So get your tickets, ramp up the anticipation and don't forget to take photos, photos, and have a lot of fun tomorrow.
Also remember, don't do anything that you wouldn't otherwise do on a bicycle.
On Sunday, the second CicloSDias (this time organized by the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition) will make its way to Pacific Beach. Thanks to the leadership of Councilmembers Todd Gloria, David Alvarez, Sherri Lightner and Lorie Zapf for donating significant funds to the second Ciclosdias.
We will have a booth at the Garnet and Ingraham Hub. Since watermelons are not in season this time we're calling for some of the best chalk art you can create on the CicloSDias route. Bring some chalk and show us your best creative artwork to win cool prizes by tagging your work on your social media outlet of choice using #chalkSD. Would you like to help make our hub the destination along the route? Then sign up to volunteer!
Foto Friday: Bike Parking Infrastructure in Balboa Park
This morning #iMayor Todd Gloria dedicated the first of 20 bike corrals scheduled to be installed throughout Balboa Park. In his comments he noted,
...in my state of the city address two weeks ago, I laid out a transportation vision for our future that really is about making bicycling more of a viable option for folks [who are] getting from A to B. And this is a step in actually fulfilling that vision and making it a reality. I think that Bruce [Shank] and Ken and others who ride here in the park everyday know that many people like to ride their bikes through the park. But they don't necessarily stop because we don't have the infrastructure. Well that ends today. This is the first of 20 installations that we will have throughout the park so that bicyclists know they can come and safely store their bikes and go out and enjoy some of the best cultural offerings in the world right here in Balboa Park. [More] importantly it will encourage people to actually leave their [car] keys at home and hopefully ride their bikes to the park. We have a real [vehicle] parking challenge in this park. This is one of the ways to address that. It's very cost effective, its environmentally sensitive. And it's the direction we ought to be going as a city.
...
...this is part of a broader effort[...]. It's not just about [you getting] here, but getting here safely, comfortably and then we don't just get the spandex enthusiasts, but you get the Todd Glorias of the world who want to bike but who don't always feel comfortable doing that. And again, they can take that conveyance as taxpayers and enjoy what they are paying for: the most magnificent park in the country.
Funds for the new bike racks were provided by the San Diego Foundation. The Foundation's President and CEO, Bob Kelly, stated,
We are honored to be able to provide funding to increase access to Balboa Park while preserving the historic character of the Park. This project aligns perfectly with The San Diego Foundation’s Opening the Outdoors initiative which seeks to provide park and outdoor access to all San Diegans,
These new bike racks are indeed a fine new addition to Balboa Park. Check them out and if you snap a photo and post it to your preferred social media outlet, don't forget to tag #bikeSD.
iMayor Todd Gloria: "San Diego’s transportation future demands that we become a world-class bike city"
On Wednesday night, (interim) mayor Todd Gloria presented the State of the City Address which laid out his vision for San Diego's future. As a forward thinking leader, Gloria recognizes the role that bicycles play in San Diego's transportation future. From his speech,
Finally, San Diego’s transportation future demands that we become a world-class bike city.
Fifty miles of roadway were restriped last year to accommodate wider bike lanes. Green bike lanes have been installed at numerous intersections and hundreds of shared lane markers have been placed around the city. Next month, we will eliminate traffic lanes on two local streets to create safer bikeways. Yes, we have begun eliminating car traffic lanes for bike lanes in southern California. We’re doing it by working together.
Later this year, our bike sharing program will kick off with the phased installation of 185 stations around the city. This partnership with DecoBike will not only expand bicycle access to more San Diegans, but will improve the connectivity of our bike, pedestrian and public transit systems.
Our updated Bicycle Master Plan and the $200 million approved by SANDAG late last year mean bigger and better advancements in this area. Pedaling makes sense for public health, our environment, reducing traffic congestion and for greater interaction in our neighborhoods.
Our vision is for San Diegans to be connected by a transportation network with robust pedestrian, bicycle, car and transit options. Our streets are not just for cars. They’re for people. And when they are designed and function as the public spaces they should be, everyone benefits.
The future, as Gloria envisions, was laid out in a video that aired prior to the State of the City Address
If you missed the State of the City Address, you may read the entire text here.
And right on the heels of his address, Gloria endorsed David Alvarez for mayor this morning. He stated, in part:
"David Alvarez is the candidate in this race who shares my vision and who we can count on to make San Diego great."
San Diego to Launch a Bike Sharing Program
As reported by Voice of San Diego, Mayor Sanders appears to have finally realized the potential that comes with promoting bicycles as a mode of transportation and recreation. In Sander's press release this morning he states that San Diego will be breaking new ground,
This program is innovative because it will be one of the first in the nation to operate without public funding.
Councilmember Todd Gloria was in attendance at yesterday's bike share demo and stated, "I had a lot of fun at today's bike sharing demonstration in Downtown. The bike I test drove is a part of Madison, WI's system. If Wisconsin can do bike sharing, San Diego certainly can too!"
In our continuous quest to raise the bar, we ask that Councilmember Gloria now ropes in the rest of his colleagues into sharing his enthusiasm for bikes including Councilmembers Zapf, Lightner and, Young. Councilmember Lightner especially needs to be brought in to the fold since she's been busy wasting time chasing away little kids from makeshift bike parks instead of working to create a safe harbor like Councilmember Faulconer has.
In reading VOSD's writeup and subsequent comments of the upcoming bike share program, readers were subject to the usual bike bashing by the bike hating residents of San Diego. My only complaint about the grumblings is that they weren't substantiated by any data. When I attended a presentation on bike share systems nearly two years ago, the biggest takeaway was how quickly these programs broke even. Absent public funding, I'd be curious to see how quickly San Diego's bike share system breaks even.
Another issue that comes to mind with the Mayor's announcement is whether the driver/rider/pedestrian antagonism is going to escalate given that most of the mid-city and beach communities lack protected bike infrastructure (aside from the "bike" paths along the San Diego river and along the Pacific Ocean). I wonder if the city is going to use the popularity of the bike share system to begin implementing some key north/south and east/west protected bike infrastructure such as cycle tracks. While it would be ideal to have a bike share system implemented after some major bike infrastructure had been implemented, I do believe that perfect is the enemy of good. So I applaud the Mayor for taking this step, imperfect as it may be, to propel San Diego forward.