Last Thursday, the City Heights Community Development Corporation(CHCDC), the first community-oriented nonprofit in City Heights, hosted a Community Workshop for the residents who reside in the Colina Park neighborhood. Colina Park is the neighborhood bordered between Euclid Avenue and 54th Street (east to west) and El Cajon Boulevard to University (north to south)
Randolph Van Vleck, the CHCDC’s Active Transportation Manager, organized the event and invited me to attend.
The CHCDC had just completed a study called FACTS (Full Access Community Transport System Project). The study surveyed and interviewed nearly 200 residents, students, and business owners of Colina Park to assess current mobility practices and issues. The study was also done in part to determine community-based solutions. According to Van Vleck, it was one of the most comprehensive transportation studies to take place in City Heights. At the workshop held last Thursday, the results of the study were presented and the community was invited to respond to some of the ideas that the CHCDC wanted to present to address the concerns raised by the community members. The workshop was one of two Community Workshops.
The CHCDC conducted a focus group study prior to the workshop to learn about the community’s concerns. The concerns brought up were included many real complaints about the transit service that residents relied on. These complaints included poor lighting at bus stops, unreliability of the buses and poor service on weekends and nights. The community also mentioned that they wanted more bike friendliness in the area, including more bike lanes and bike racks on the buses (each bus is currently are equipped to carry two bikes) – a necessity for those who are unable or unwilling to ride up and down San Diego’s mesas.
The demographics of the focus group surveyed broke down as follows:
- 121 responses to the 12 question survey
- 65% of the respondents were under 24 years old, while a little more than 8% were over 55 years old
- 18% of respondents did not own a car in their household
- 47% reported their household as Non-English speaking
- 25% are multi-language speaking households, who can speak English and other languages
- 68% indicated that they drove themselves or were driven by someone else at least 5 days a week
- 52% rode a bicycle or walked at least 5 days a week
- 5% reported that they used public transit more than 4 days a week.
They respondents had many suggestions on how to improve mobility in Colina Park.
The respondents who owned automobiles had the following suggestions:
- Create a walkable, bike-friendly neighborhood (24.8%)
- Increase other transportation options – such as Carpool, taxi and trolley (21.0%)
- More transit – increase frequency, more times of the day, more routes (15.2%)
- Own a car (12.4%)
- Better maintenance and operation (10.5%)
- Better security – improve lighting and cleanliness (8.6%)
- Affordable transit – decrease price of bus fares, offer discounts (4.8%)
- Parking – more car parking and/or free parking (1.9%)
- Faster transit (speed in mph, dedicated lanes and/or limited stops) (1.0%)
Among the respondents who did not own an automobile, they had the following suggestions:
- Better bicycling and walking environment (26.1%)
- Own a car (17.4%)
- Better security (13.0%)
- More transit – frequency, more times of the day, and/or more routes (13.0%)
- Other transportation options (car pool, taxi, limo, trolley) (13.0%)
- Affordable Transit (4.3%)
- Better Maintenance & Operation (4.3%)
- Faster transit – speed in mph, dedicated lanes, and/or limited stops (4.3%)
- Multi-lingual communication (4.3%)
While the community’s recommendations were very encouraging, the current projects underway that will impact the Colina Park community was equally encouraging.
To encourage the community to participate, the CHCDC offered an enticing incentive, a fully equipped commuter bicycle. The bicycle was donated by Bikes del Pueblo. Pedal Pushing Bike Shop donated a new-tune, new tires, shifters and pedals. Pedal Pushing Bike Shop is an independent bike shop located at the boundary of the Colina Park neighborhood at 4966 El Cajon Blvd. Thomas Bike Shop, San Diego’s oldest bike shop, donated a new u-lock, lights and a commuter pannier set.
The workshop was well attended by all accounts. And I look forward to seeing how the suggestions of Colina Parks will be implemented.