Make Uptown Great Again - BikeSD Endorses Maya Rosas and Joshua Clark to Uptown Planners
BikeSD is pleased to announce our endorsements of Ms. Maya Rosas and Mr. Joshua Clark, for the Uptown Planners Board election this coming Tuesday, March 1st. It's time to get out the vote!
Maya Rosas is a Hillcrest resident and a passionate urbanist and dedicated advocate for safer, complete streets for San Diego's cyclists and pedestrians, alike. Formerly on staff at Walk San Diego, Maya truly established herself as an influencer while a Policy Analyst at Circulate San Diego. For more than two years, Maya advocated at key governmental organizations, including the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and at Uptown Planners. In bringing her expertise to bear, Maya co-authored CirculateSD's Vision Zero report, which helped drive the City of San Diego's adoption of last year's Vision Zero resolution - a key effort in helping continue San Diego's development toward becoming a world-class city for cycling.
Josh Clark is a Mission Hills resident who holds degrees in History from UCLA and a Masters in City Planning from SDSU. Clark is a Senior Planner with Alta Planning + Design, specifically working as a GIS analyst focused on active transportation planning. A bike commuter, Josh routinely rides the streets of San Diego with a keen eye towards what works well, and where improvements can be made. Evenings and weekends are spent exploring Uptown on bike or by foot, tending the vegetable garden, playing soccer, or being humbled by a home improvement project. Josh is committed to preserving the exceptional qualities of Uptown's neighborhoods for current and future residents.
Uptown Planners is a key community planning group in the City of San Diego's urban core and includes the neighborhoods of Bankers Hill/Park West, Hillcrest, Mission Hills, University Heights, Five Points/Middletown, and the Medical Complex. As the official planning advisory board to the City, it's key that forward-thinking members with an eye toward fostering smart urban growth focused on active transportation, be elected to the Board. Maya and Josh are running on a slate of candidates who fit the bill. BikeSD recommends that you arrive early enough on Tuesday, March 1st, to meet Maya and Josh, as well as hear their recommendations for the remaining slate of candidates. A voter may vote for up to seven candidates!
Last year, our endorsement helped elect Michael Brennan and Kyle Heiskala to the Uptown Planners board, and their influence on the board cannot be understated. It was through Heiskala's patience and willingness to educate his fellow board members that Uptown Planners voted to support protected bike lanes along all of University Avenue at their 2015 December meeting, something that could happen through city efforts regardless of SANDAG's own project. This development was a huge departure from Uptown Planners of the past and it is only because of Heiskala and Brennan than this change was possible. So this being election year, don't discount your voice. Opposition to safe streets and in favor of maintaining the status quo is still strong - so come out next Tuesday and VOTE!
Details of the election are below:
**To vote, an individual must present identification proving either residency, property ownership, or business ownership in Uptown. Identification may include a driver's license, utility bill, tax bill, business license, or rent receipt - any document that has the voter's name and street address. Photocopies of documents are acceptable.**
See you there!
Board President, Bike San Diego
Today: Community Workshop for the Downtown Mobility Plan
The third Community Workshop for the Downtown Mobility Plan is scheduled to be held this evening at the Downtown Central Library:
6pm - 8pm
San Diego Central Library
Neil Morgan Auditorium
330 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101
(RSVP here)
Next City's Josh Cohen wrote a piece covering what the Downtown Mobility Plan does and doesn't do.
Long time BikeSD supporters will know that I'm usually not easily impressed with the half measures usually put out in this city. But I am impressed with the Draft Downtown Mobility Plan.
For one, as Cohen writes,
Perhaps a sign of how urban planning has evolved, the mobility plan specifically calls out the importance of creating a connected network: “Implementing the network as a whole, rather than individual segments, will improve the effectiveness of the cycleways and establish a well-connected grid of north south and east west protected bicycle facilities that can improve the safety and comfort for cyclists in Downtown.”
Additionally, the plan also,
promotes evaluation of removing the Cedar Street off-ramp, and switching Cedar Street from one-way to two-way traffic to improve pedestrian safety and re-establish the historic connection between Balboa Park, Cortez, Little Italy, and the waterfront.
Converting city streets from dumping grounds for high speed vehicles exiting off the freeway into a calm, civilized city streets that connects San Diego's beautiful neighborhoods? Now that's exciting.
Yet the plan could do more. It could ensure that downtown's main streets: Broadway and Market Streets, are made truly multi-modal and incorporate facilities that promote, highlight and encourage bicycling. While the discussion around parking is sure to again dominate the discussion around a mobility plan that facilitates walking and bicycling, I hope that it doesn't detract city officials from committing to adopt and implement a plan that showcases what San Diego is capable of.
See you tonight!
Power to the People (on Bikes)
Trying to make San Diego’s roads safer for people on bikes can seem daunting. Who has the time to attend every public event where changes to your neighborhood’s streets are being considered? From city and SANDAG meetings that take place while we’re all at work, to community planning meetings and bikeway open houses that occur on busy weeknights, it’s nearly impossible to consistently make your voice heard.
Meanwhile, there are powerful forces in our communities actively working against your safety and the taxes you pay for it. In Hillcrest, three years of public input on the SANDAG Uptown Bikeway was disregarded when the Hillcrest Business Association successfully lobbied SANDAG and the city to eliminate most of the project from University Avenue. Remember, this project is paid for with your TransNet sales tax dollars. Yet the HBA was able to raise tens of thousands of dollars using funds from the Hillcrest Farmers Market and business donations, and this money is still being used to kill the rest of the Bikeway. So even when your voice is heard, it’s being drowned out by powerful, politically-connected interests that put street parking over your health, safety and tax dollars.
For me, the best way to make sure my voice actually has an impact is to support BikeSD. That’s because BikeSD’s executive director, Sam Ollinger, is the best resource we have in San Diego to create positive change. I’ve seen Sam speak numerous times at public meetings and there is no one more knowledgeable and effective at making our case than her - period. And when our safety is on the line, she doesn’t accept weak compromises like other advocacy organizations in our city. But after years of donating her time for free to our cause, we need to be able to fund her efforts. And that’s why I’m asking you - in the midst of paying your holiday credit card bills - to please give what you can so Sam can continue to represent us in making our streets safer.
Fortunately Sam isn’t alone in her efforts. She leads a team of volunteer members like myself, who also participate in public meetings and advocate on your behalf. Your voice is made much stronger by our collective efforts. For example, political candidates seek BikeSD’s endorsement for their campaigns. We see through the rhetoric of elected officials who urge residents to bike more for the environment, then cave in to parking lobbyists. And BikeSD is a non-profit organization, so every dollar you donate goes toward our advocacy efforts.
Finally, for years I’ve read about people on bikes being seriously injured in our city, but in 2015 I was personally impacted. While riding downtown on our city’s bike share system (which operates on mostly unsafe streets), my husband was car-doored. He suffered a severe concussion and spent two nights in the hospital; he still hasn’t fully regained his sense of smell six months after the accident.
Seeing someone I love laying unconscious in the street was shocking, and watching him suffer in a hospital bed only strengthened my resolve to fight. What if you or someone you love is injured as a result of our city’s failed leadership for safer streets? I’m asking you to take a stand to help ensure your safety and others who bike. Your donation to BikeSD can help make a difference for all of us.
Why Does BikeSD Matter to the General Public?
By: Mana Monzavi, Board Treasurer
Bike San Diego
I’m not a bike enthusiast. It may seem strange that someone like me is an avid supporter of BikeSD. But it actually makes perfect sense. I own a bike (although I’m mostly too scared to ride it around). I also live in a walkable neighborhood (North Park) and drive a car. About 6 months ago, I joined the board of BikeSD because I believe in the greater vision of this organization. We all want safer streets, a better quality of life, and the freedom to choose our own mode of transportation.
San Diego, along with the rest of southern California, is a largely car-centric region. Public transportation and infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians are secondary notions. Our current infrastructure makes it difficult and unsafe to choose alternate modes for moving around this city.
Think about the streets in your neighborhood. Which ones do you think are safe or unsafe?
Three of the eight most dangerous streets in San Diego are in my neighborhood. I travel them almost every day.
One of the initiatives for Bike SD in 2016 is the recently passed Vision Zero Campaign. The main goal of this city initiative is to lower traffic-related deaths to zero by 2025. Saving lives and making our streets safer includes safety for bicyclist and pedestrians. This is a common goal that we all share, whether we are bike enthusiasts or not.
So I’ve decided to put all my extra energy and free time into helping BikeSD accomplish its goals to make San Diego safer for us all. But we need your help. Running an effective advocacy organization costs money and every little bit helps. Please take a moment to make a contribution of $5, $50, $500, or any amount that makes sense for your budget. We are currently in the middle of a major fundraising campaign with the goal of $25,000. Please help us make San Diego a great place to live for everyone.
We've Resolved to Fight for You. Commit Yourself to Joining the Fight in 2016.
Happy New Year! The first week of 2016 is in the books and we're already hard at work shaping this year to be a game changer. We want you to be a part of that change.
A little over two months ago, the San Diego City Council passed the "Vision Zero" resolution—committing to creating an environment of safe streets designed to eliminate cyclist and pedestrian deaths throughout the city by 2025. It's ambitious. And it'll require all hands on deck to make sure the engineering and implementation is done right, and that our local leaders have the proper motivation to fully see it through. The first two tests are immediately upon us with community outreach meetings for the Robinson Avenue and Pershing Drive Bikeways (Thursday, January 14th and Wednesday, January 20th, respectively). With these in mind, BikeSD is helping drive a coalition of advocates toward making the City's soon-to-standup Vision Zero Task Force an effective body for change—not just window dressing for political mailers. This is just the beginning of our busy year fighting for the kind of streets that BikeSD's supporters and the broader community deserve.
In the coming weeks BikeSD will announce our City of San Diego endorsements for 2016 (including a reassessment of District 1 in light of Joe LaCava's withdrawal). With City Council races in Districts, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, plus the City Attorney and Mayoral races, there's a lot of 'politician's speak' to wade through—we have our tall boots on. When called upon, we'll be counting on the thousands of you who've joined the cause to flex your personal political muscle to help elect the endorsed candidates. And we'll expect them to deliver results.
It won't all be politics in 2016, however. We're going to have a lot of fun, as well. BikeSD has taken charge of the Midnight Madness Fun Bicycle Ride, previously owned by Hostelling International. We'll be hosting the first ride on Friday, February 26th (with a March 4th backup date in case El Niño doesn't cooperate), and expect hundreds of cyclists to join in the fun of a safe, late-night ride around town. Additionally, our Bike Culture Rides will be back with the Bike Month Bash at the Lafayette Hotel, the Beachside Bike Ride, and Bike to the Border. We can't wait to see you all at these events.
As you can see, 2016 is going to be a very busy year, indeed. To do it all, we need your help. In the next two weeks, our organization needs to raise $25,000. We need some of you to dig deep and become recurring contributors between $10 and $50 a month. We need some of you to go big, now, and give a one-time contribution of $100-$500. No matter the amount, it's important that right now, you demonstrate your resolve to making San Diego a world-class city for bicycling by helping grow the capacity of this advocacy organization—one founded and funded by individuals, just like you, committed to common cause—for the safety and respect of all San Diegans, for transportation justice and social equity, and to fight against Climate Change. Together, these streets will become safer. Side by side, our community will grow stronger.
Sincerely,
Andy Kopp, Board President
Bike San Diego