Rise Up Town 2021 Slate

BikeSD Endorses Rise Up Town Slate of Candidates for Uptown Planners Election

Rise Up Town 2021 Slate

The BikeSD board voted to endorse the Rise Up Town slate of candidates for the Uptown Planners election. Uptown Planners serves in an advisory role to the City of San Diego on topics related to land-use, development, and discretionary projects in the six neighborhoods of Uptown: Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Bankers Hill, University Heights (west of Park Blvd), Five Points/Middletown, and the Medical Complex.

The Rise Up Town platform states "The best way to support a thriving community is to make it easier to access by walking, busing, rolling, biking, and scootering. Our candidates bring stronger voices who favor more mobility options — and increasing the safety of everyone on our neighborhood streets. When people feel good about strolling or rolling through their neighborhood, they shop more, they meet up more, they do more. We want Uptown Planners to promote mobility and transit options for people who live in here because it makes Uptown a better place to live."

Several BikeSD volunteers have been involved with Rise Uptown in the past or on the current slate. We are confident in the slate's ability to make Uptown San Diego a more pleasant place to bike and scooter. Getting a Community Planning Group in Uptown that supports micromobility infrastructure is critical to making San Diego a more bike and scooter-friendly place, as recent history has shown.

If you live or own a business in Uptown, we strongly encourage you to vote in the Uptown Planners election on June 30th, July 5th, or July 6th. To find out how to do so, visit the Rise Up Town website or download their slate card (PDF).


Mourning the Loss of Swati Tyagi

Swati Tyagi with her son, Miransh. Source: San Diego Union-Tribune, originally provided by Tyagi's family.

We are very saddened by the loss of Dr. Swati Tyagi, PhD who was tragically killed this week when a driver struck her from behind while she was riding her bike southbound on North Torrey Pines road as it approaches La Jolla Village Drive.

Dr. Tyagi was a scientist at the Salk Institute, which issued a press release describing her as an accomplished scientist, who was recognized with the 2017 Salk Women & Science Special Award.

She left behind an 11 month old son and husband. BikeSD has reached out to Dr. Tyagi's husband to express our condolences.

The section in which Dr. Tyagi was killed contained an intermittent class II bike lane with no buffer, adjacent to a high-volume and high-speed road. According to the National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Bikeway Design guide, such a road should have a fully-protected bicycle lane or separate adjacent bike path.