Mayoral Candidate Bob Filner Wants to Ride with You on 9/23 at 1pm

Mayoral Candidate Bob Filner on Bike to Work Day. Photo from Bob Filner’s Campaign Office.

Mayoral Candidate Bob Filner would like to do a bike tour on September 23rd at 1pm and learn more about the areas of concern or hot spots and learn more about how biking can be made better in San Diego. When his campaign reached out to me to ask for suggestions, I suggested two locations based on many emails and conversations I’ve had with riders over the last three years:
1: India Street or Kettner Street at the I-5 tunnel, or
2: Fairmount Ave

His campaign provided the following details:

We have one hour (1-2pm), anticipating picking up a bicycle at Ivan Stewarts (2021 India Street) to have Bob ride with others to location 1, time permitting we’ll visit location 2

Some aspects of this event will be used for the campaign (photos – not including those who wish to be excluded), the briefing would be non-politically involved, and we honor your presence by not referencing respective organizations. Though it would be great to have a bunch of people there.

Please RSVP if you’d like to attend…and pass the word along.

The campaign will release an Infrastructure plan on Oct 8th an Infrastructure plan and an Environment Plan on Oct. 22nd an Environment plan both addressing livability (bike, walk, etc…) issues and increased support. The campaign will share both, when available.

On the local bike commuter forums, Geoff suggested the following:

Please OH PLEASE take him on Hancock/Kettner from Noell St. to Downtown. You get everything a San Diego cyclist experiences in one place: cars exit the 5 at freeway speed; three lanes in one direction with no opposing traffic for SPEED~!; lanes not wide enough to share, making you take the lane or cringe against the curb; no bike lanes/paths/routes/sharrows/signs; on-street parking at random intervals so you can play “Watch Out For That Door!”; and this is the only direct route from Old Town to Little Italy/Downtown!

No, really, take any candidate for any political office on THAT ROUTE every single time. If they don’t have a Mayor Villaraigosa moment, then they can’t be phased (sic) by anything.

While I don’t think it is a good strategy to put our elected officials or mayoral candidates in harm’s way, Geoff does bring up a good point. This route is a key route. Nearly two years after the Uptown Planners voted to make India Street safer despite protests from a few businesses along India Street, no significant changes have been made. Personally, I refuse to patronize any business on India Street because of the the dangerous conditions that exist on that street and I think it is inhumane that anyone outside an automobile is expected to navigate such a speedy thoroughfare. The same could be said for Fairmount Avenue. If you ride along India/Kettner or Fairmount Avenue on a regular basis and have a video or photos of your ride, do send it in so I can post them.