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.
September Bicycle Giveaway!
We are giving away a beautiful bicycle this month! It's a fundraising event and only costs $5 to enter. The bicycle is a Linus Gaston 5 with a five speed internally geared rear hub for easy maintenance and reliability. Donations accepted until October 10th. See the Campaign Page for more details.
We will be drawing a winner on our Youtube channel, Sunday October 11th at 6pm. See you then!
BikeSD - September Bicycle Giveway Livestream! via YouTube
BikeSD Book Club
We invite you to join us in reading and discussing Bicycle/Race - Transportation, Culture & Resistance by Adonia E. Lugo, Phd.
Summary: Bicycle / Race paints an unforgettable picture of Los Angeles―and the United States―from the perspective of two wheels. This is a book of borderlands and intersections, a cautionary tale about the dangers of putting infrastructure before culture, and a coming-of-age story about power and identity. The colonial history of southern California is interwoven through Adonia Lugo's story of growing up Chicana in Orange County, becoming a bicycle anthropologist, and co-founding Los Angeles's hallmark open streets cycling event, CicLAvia, along the way. When she takes on racism in the world of national bicycle advocacy in Washington, DC, she finds her voice and heads back to LA to organize the movement for environmental justice in active transportation.
In the tradition of City of Quartz, this book will forever change the way you see Los Angeles, race and class in the United States, and the streets and people around you wherever you live.
The plan is to meet several Sunday evenings on Google Meet to discuss 30-page sections of the book. The discussion will be a safe place to explore thoughts and ideas as we reckon with the topics of race and environmental justice dealt with in the book. There is no pressure to speak up and you won't be called on, we're a friendly bunch. You can request to join the google calendar event below or request an invite via email. You may also contact one of our members for an invite if you prefer.
It is recommended that participants read the first two chapters of the book before the first meeting.
First meeting will take place Sunday September 13th at 4pm
Second meeting will take place Sunday October 4th at 4pm
Join the Event Here
