Regional planning group makes headway on bike-friendly initiative

Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter

Mission Hills merchants were told University Avenue is the most likely of three prospective alternative routes the Uptown Regional Bike Corridors Project could take in ongoing efforts to make the community more bike-friendly.

Two other east-west routes being considered as the preferred alternative for a bike corridor through Uptown are Washington Street and Robinson Avenue.

That was revealed at a special meeting on proposed bike lanes hosted by the Mission Hills Business Improvement District (BID) Oct. 23 at Cinema Under The Stars at 4040 Goldfinch St.

San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) transportation planner Beth Robrahn gave an hour-long presentation detailing engineering studies underway aimed at making one of the three prospective thoroughfares through the center of the Uptown District more accommodating for both cyclists and pedestrians. That would be accomplished via enhancements such as pavement striping and additional bike racks and corrals, as well as the creation of new bike lanes separating cyclists from vehicular traffic, as has been done elsewhere in the country, most notably in Portland, Ore.

SANDAG is the San Diego region’s transportation and planning agency. The SANDAG Board recently approved the Regional Bike Plan Early Action Program (EAP), a $200 million initiative to expand the bike network countywide and finish high-priority projects within 10 years.

One of those high-priority projects is the Uptown Regional Corridors.

“This is an exciting time for those working on projects that will help improve conditions for people walking and biking within San Diego,” said Robrahn, also noting that Uptown’s project, presently in the planning and design phase, is one of the first priority projects being tackled by the city.

Robrahn said there are two priority bike corridor projects currently under development in mid-city: The 10-mile stretch in Uptown through the Hillcrest area, and a similar 10-mile stretch through North Park.

“These will form the heart of the regional network,” Robrahn said. “The reason we started with projects in these areas is because they are the ones with the most people living around in them, offering the most opportunity to get more people riding and using this new bicycle infrastructure.”

Robrahn said the objective of creating the Uptown Regional Bike Corridors project is to “connect the neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Mission Hills and Five Points with Old Town, Mission Valley, North Park, Balboa Park and, ultimately, Downtown San Diego.”

Implementation of the Regional Bike Plan EAP, including efforts to make Uptown more bike-friendly, has drawn the endorsement of Interim Mayor Todd Gloria whose 3rd City Council District encompasses mid-city. He also serves as a representative on the SANDAG Board.

“The Regional Bike Plan EAP will make biking a safe and enjoyable transportation alternative throughout the San Diego region,” Gloria said.  “Strengthening our active transportation network supports healthier people and a healthier environment. Included in the Bike EAP are approximately $35 million of projects in the mid-city neighborhoods of San Diego.”

SANDAG’s effort to create interconnected bicycle corridors region wide to promote non-motorized travel is also being supported by two cycling advocacy groups, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and BikeSD.

“Working with the bicycle community, we’re getting tons of support for these projects,” said San Diego County Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Andy Hanshaw. “We want to provide alternative transportation, including bicycling, in these corridors to encourage more people to ride bikes while interconnecting communities filling in the missing gaps. It’s looking toward the future in making our region healthier and more active, while cleaning up the air.”

Hanshaw said the Uptown corridor is an important one to be developed because “it connects with so many businesses from Hillcrest to Downtown and is an important corridor people need to go to for jobs, shopping and where they live.”

Samantha Ollinger, executive director of BikeSD, said implementation of bike corridors like Uptown’s will serve other important environmental initiatives.

“It shows the region’s adherence to state policy goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by shifting trips from vehicles to other modes of transportation,” Ollinger said.

Gerrie Trussell, executive director of the Mission Hills Business Improvement District, said Uptown bike corridor development will dovetail neatly with median improvements in Mission Hills, which she noted are “coveted all over the city.”

Mission Hills merchants at the Oct. 23 meeting with Robrahn expressed concern about displacement of on-street parking, one consequence of creating new and improved bike corridors, wherever they ultimately will be created. Merchants warned displacing cars on corridors to make room for bike lanes will divert parking into already overcrowded adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Robrahn acknowledged that is one problem that needs to be dealt with noting, “There’s a lot of work to do yet.”  She noted the Uptown Corridors Project is still in the development stage adding that the preferred alternative along University, Washington on Robinson has yet to be made.

The transportation planner said there’s another important element to be considered in improving bike corridors through Uptown.

“We want to strengthen business, bring more businesses into the business district in order to diversify that business district ,” Robrahn said. “The Uptown Regional Bike Corridors Project is an opportunity to not only improve transportation, but also to provide benefits to businesses in the business district.”