Between the dockless bike trend and city\u2019s Climate Action Plan (CAP) goals, biking has hardly fallen off San Diego\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not far from Uptown\u2019s mind. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is in the midst of planning a network of local bikeways to make it easier and safer to bike through many of our Uptown neighborhoods.<\/p>\n This regional bike network,\u00a0 coined Uptown Bikeways, plans to connect Hillcrest, Mission Hills, Balboa Park, North Park, University Heights, Old Town, Downtown and Mission Valley. Of particular interest is the Park Boulevard Bikeway, one of the five segments in this network, which will connect the high-traffic neighborhoods of Hillcrest, North Park and Balboa Park.<\/p>\n Chris Romano, SANDAG project manager, noted that the Park Boulevard Bikeway is an important connection, since the intersection of Park Boulevard and Robinson Avenue will link the eastern Hillcrest bikeways to the Robinson bikeways, and will connect the overall Uptown and North Park\/Mid-City Bikeway projects.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also an intersection that we\u2019ve heard people feel really uncomfortable going through, really unsafe \u2014 it\u2019s confusing if you\u2019re biking, if you\u2019re walking, if you\u2019re driving \u2014 so we\u2019re trying to come in and help improve that so it\u2019s easier to get through and doesn\u2019t act like a barrier anymore,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n On July 18, SANDAG held an informational event about the Park Boulevard Bikeway at Refill Cafe, a coffee shop fittingly located at 3752 Park Blvd. in Hillcrest. The casual workshop invited the community to stop by at various time intervals throughout the day to chat with the project team, ask questions and offer input on the bikeway.<\/p>\n Brandy Swetizer, SANDAG\u2019s Senior Public Outreach Officer, said the informational workshop was very well-received compared to similar events, approximating 40\u201350 people in attendance.<\/p>\n She partially attributed this turnout to the format of the event. Three sessions offered throughout the day (7\u20139 a.m.; 11 a.m.\u20131 p.m.; 4\u20137 p.m.) intended to make it easier for those whose lifestyles could not allow them to attend an evening meeting after work.<\/p>\n The workshop attracted many pedestrians walking by the open-air cafe as well as Uptown bikers, post-cycle and clad in biking gear.<\/p>\n One bike enthusiast was Hillcrest resident Susan Patch, who has previously participated in similar bike outreach events. The Park Boulevard Bikeway especially caught her eye, as she uses this route on her commute to work at the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel safe, but there could definitely be improvements, which is why I\u2019m really interested in this bikeway and other bikeways,\u201d Patch said.<\/p>\n \u201cI ride along Park [Boulevard] every day for my commute \u2026 you go from there being a bike lane and then all of a sudden, there\u2019s no bike lane and you\u2019re in a blind curve,\u201d she continued. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not really safe, which is why this project has plans to extend that bikeway. So I don\u2019t know how you can say no to that.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Romano and Swetizer said the majority of feedback and questions they received at the event were related to addressing biker safety, along with the logistics of that task.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of what we\u2019re looking at is building out the curve more to tighten the intersection up, make it a little clearer as to where you\u2019re supposed to be; shorten some of the crossing distances; and remove some of the confusion out of the intersection [with] better striping and [by] delineating where things are supposed to go,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n Mission Hills resident Oscar Tevera, who formerly lived in La Mesa, also cruised by on his bike ride home from his job in Downtown. A major part of his decision to move to Mission Hills revolved around finding a neighborhood where it was easier to ride to work \u2014 which he does 95 percent of the time.<\/p>\n \u201cSince I work by the airport, I specifically wanted to live in a place that was closer for me to commute. That way I could be \u2014 it sounds weird \u2014 a millennial that gets on a bike and goes to work, or uses public transit, and actually support it. Put my money where my mouth is,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n Compared to La Mesa, Tevera said that Uptown is a lot more rideable. However, he sees room for major improvements, such as better infrastructure to decrease biker injuries.<\/p>\n His major grievance was with the amount of time these types of projects take to get off the ground and onto the pavement.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally love the plan; I support it. For me, as an individual, it\u2019s shocking how long it takes,\u201d Tevera said. \u201cIt sounds silly, but even a few markings in the road and just building a few extensions takes two years. \u2026 It\u2019d be nice to get them to move faster so we can get to that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know how you can say no to that [project]. Just as fast as you can do it,\u201d Patch echoed.<\/p>\n Patch added that Uptown\u2019s slew of public events, such as San Diego Pride and December Nights, lends itself to investing in bike-friendly infrastructure. Though she acknowledged that some local drivers may oppose the changes, Patch thinks incorporating bikes would encourage people to bike to these events, helping decrease traffic and increase parking.<\/p>\n Currently, the segment of the Park Boulevard Bikeway from Robinson Avenue to Upas Street is in the preliminary engineering and environmental phase, expected to be completed in 2019. This phase entails analyzing existing conditions, comparing design options and compiling Uptown community feedback. The second segment from Upas Street to Village Place is still in the planning phase.<\/p>\n Though small in scale, the community input gathered at the July 18 workshop will help inform the next phase. In particular, attendees were encouraged to analyze the three proposed drafts (Concepts A, B and C), ask questions, and pick their favorite, helping SANDAG choose a concept that residents think would work best with the neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re hearing today is that people like this one concept [Concept A] \u2014 it\u2019s kind of more of a protected intersection-style treatment, basically more separation between people biking, walking and driving,\u201d Romano said.<\/p>\n Elements of Concept A includes a northbound left-pocket turn to improve safety; creating high visibility crosswalks and shortened crossing distances for pedestrians; bike boxes for bikers to wait in when making left turns; and having the bikeway be physically separated from the street for many intersection movements. However, it will also cause three parking spaces to be lost and is the highest cost concept.<\/p>\n View the three different concept options at bit.ly\/park-blvd-docs<\/a>. The complete project overview can be accessed at bit.ly\/park-blvd-bike<\/a>.<\/p>\n SANDAG previously presented the project at the June 12 Uptown Planners meeting and is expected to return to the board later this year. The next public event is yet to be announced. For updates, visit sandag.org or follow SANDAG on social media.<\/p>\n![\"Pedaling](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Untitled-1-1.jpg\")