Activist. Urbanist. Futurist. Fighting for a sustainable future in San Diego County, focusing on mobility and social justice.
#VisionZero
๐ฒ ืฆืืง ืฆืืง ืชืจืืืฃ
Horrible news:
@Amtrak
@PacSurfliners
between LA & San Diego has been suspended indefinitely due to coastal erosion.
The route was the 2nd busiest intercity rail corridor in the US, w/ 26 daily trains & ~3M riders per year.
Climate change is here, and we are totally unprepared
San Diego: "Sorry, no fires on the beach. Also, no dogs during certain hours. Btw you can't build new housing or transit here."
Also San Diego: "Sure, this private company can take over the public beach to do donuts in an SUV. Would you like to borrow some of our lifeguards?"
California will essentially force San Diego to remove outdoor dining structures near the beach and restore parking. Commissioners were concerned about the "privatization of public space" - the public space previously used to store private vehicles.
๐ Quite the exciting development: The Mexican Government is reportedly preparing plans for a passenger rail connection from Tijuana to Los Cabos. The train would connect to the San Diego Trolley at San Ysidro, with trains departing every 30 mins. It will take ~4 years to build.
I have visited the Netherlands for the 1st time & witnessed how a proper country prioritizes people over cars.
I will now be absolutely insufferable about the need for better infrastructure. This street has a bike path, BRT & Metro. Imagine if we had this in Southern California.
๐จ Video from
#SanDiego
's Encanto neighborhood appears to show a vehicle being carried away by flash flooding. Hopefully, nobody is inside - the car seems to be on as its wipers are going.
E-bike sales were up 240% last year in the US, with 790,000 imported, compared to 652,000 electric cars, including plug-in hybrids.
Yet most governments are exclusively building infrastructure for electric cars.
It's time to focus on e-bikes.
If we seriously want more people to ride bikes, we must do something about rampant bike theft.
It turns off new riders, adds stress to our commutes/rides & can reduce existing ridership.
We should be able to park our bikes as safely as someone can park their car.
๐ The Port of San Diego has proposed significant changes to Downtown San Diego's waterfront.
Under the proposal, Harbor Drive will be narrowed and parking spots removed for a new waterfront pedestrian promenade, multiuse path, and potential transit-only lanes.
San Diego County Administration Building: 2001 vs. 2022
Two massive parking lots were converted into 12 acres of park space, with grass, gardens, fountains, and playgrounds overlooking the San Diego Bay.
San Diego really hasnโt been the same since they took out the weird multicolored maze that spanned several blocks downtown
Horton Plaza was maddening. You could be trapped there for hours, able to see the store/restaurant/your car but unable to get there
Developers are starting to recognize that cities of the future are dense, walkable, and accessible. This proposed 37-story residential project in Downtown San Diego has 443 apartments, with 52 car parking spots and 212 spaces for bike parking.
We are 249 days away from San Diego failing to reach its
#VisionZero
goal to end traffic fatalities by 2025
Meanwhile, San Diego PD is arresting a woman on felony vandalism charges for writing "slow down" on a street
800+ people have died in traffic collisions here since 2015
We closed one of San Diegoโs busiest streets to cars, and hereโs what happened:
๐ข businesses were packed
๐ impacts to traffic were minimal
๐คท the world did not end
What street should we close next?
#SanDiego
@sdbikecoalition
In a meeting held over 100 miles away from San Diego, Commissioners cited "environmental justice" as one of the concerns with removing parking. The Commission didn't note anything about improving access through mass transit or bicycle infrastructure... just free parking.
๐จ Video from
#SanDiego
's Encanto neighborhood appears to show a vehicle being carried away by flash flooding. Hopefully, nobody is inside - the car seems to be on as its wipers are going.
Of course, it's all about "access" to the beach. Commissioners noted the high cost of housing near the beaches as the reason to increase parking. Of course, the Commissioners won't allow for more housing to be built on the beaches to relieve high costs. Just ridiculous.
It should also be noted that this meeting held in Long Beach was not accessible by public transit from San Diego because...
*checks notes*
The train tracks fell into the ocean, and
@PacSurfliners
won't reopen until February. You can't make this stuff up.
In a meeting held over 100 miles away from San Diego, Commissioners cited "environmental justice" as one of the concerns with removing parking. The Commission didn't note anything about improving access through mass transit or bicycle infrastructure... just free parking.
Commissioners want to return *one* closed block of Avenida de la Playa in La Jolla - which serves hundreds of residents and visitors daily, improved quality of life, and allowed small businesses here to thrive - to *22* free parking spaces.
San Diego County Administration Building: 2001 vs. 2022
Two massive parking lots were converted into 12 acres of park space, with grass, gardens, fountains, and playgrounds overlooking the San Diego Bay.
๐ฒ๐ San Diego's newest separated bikeway is being installed today, connecting Ocean Beach with Point Loma along Nimitz Boulevard. The bikeway also continues onto the Famosa Blvd on-ramp.
Great to see this vital infrastructure being put in by the
@CityofSanDiego
!
This candidate claims that San Diegoโs public transportation system is the most expensive and least efficient in the United States.
This is false. The Trolley was the highest-ridership light-rail system in the country in 2022. Our bus system is expanding.
Why lie about this?
It's already expensive and miserable to drive. San Diegans waste hours of their lives stuck in traffic throughout our county. It comes at a massive cost when factoring in gas prices, lost productivity, etc.
Investment in public transit and bicycle infrastructure is the solution.
In an effort to combat the claim that "nobody uses the bike lanes," the City of San Diego has been installing bike and scooter counters along our city's bikeways.
Since being installed in November 2021, more than 10,400+ cyclists have ridden past this counter on Pacific Highway.
This infuriates me so much.
Strapping a computer to your face and operating a motor vehicle isnโt funny. Itโs stupid and dangerous.
Thousands of people are killed or injured in traffic crashes EVERY DAY across California.
That's right, Little Italy's promenade is enormously successful. That's why San Diego should replicate it all over the city ๐
Hey, 5th Avenue in
@GaslampQuarter
: You're next!๐ถ๐ฒ
Looks like the Cardiff Reef parking lot in
#Encinitas
has collapsed. Infrastructure continues to fail across Southern California due to these massive storms.
๐ฒ The new cycletrack along the 101 in Encinitas is already wildly popular. Build it, and they will come. Let's repeat this on every major arterial street in San Diego County.
The cities with the highest light rail ridership in the United States are in Southern California.
The demand for public transit in our region is growing. The status quo of traffic and sprawl must end. Vote for candidates that will fund, build, and expand our mass transit systems
Good news for LA: their light rail system has jumped San Diego to have the highest ridership in the nation, following a 30% year-over-year increase from the opening of the Regional Connector
The free shuttle from Old Town to San Diego International Airport is booming. The Flyer had more than 130,000 passenger trips in 2023. Demand is surging in 2024.
San Diego's residents and visitors want to use public transit. We should meet this moment.
Well, I guess the 6th Ave bikeway is no more. I understand businesses are struggling, but that shouldnโt come at the expense of my safety. Unbelievably frustrating
Unbelievable.
The Mayor of San Marcos voted to prevent bus-only lanes on a planned rapid bus route because of... medians.
So when drivers and bus riders are all stuck in traffic, at least they can gaze upon those beautiful medians together.
๐๐จ San Marcos is attempting to prevent bus-only lanes from being constructed in the city.
This is the second city in San Diego County to attempt to block much-needed regional transit improvements recently.
Please reject this short-sighted, pro-traffic resolution
@RebeccaJ516
The
@CityofSanDiego
is proposing traffic calming on 6th Avenue from Laurel St to Upas St, alongside Balboa Park. The proposal narrows the street from four lanes to two, adding a center turn lane and new painted bike lanes.
#VisionZero
When San Diego built protected bike lanes, sales at businesses along the route increased 24%. Providing alternatives to cars means more people get to enjoy space that previously was reserved for machines. Foot traffic is what drives economic activity ๐ฒ๐ถ
This is big news. Studies are just getting underway to extend Amtrak to US/MX border. If the Mexican Government can deliver passenger rail to our doorstep in four years, we should be able to do the same.
@ScottPetersSD
@RepJuanVargas
Caltrans wins grant to begin studying extending
@PacSurfliners
to San Ysidro
Amtrak running to the country's busiest land border crossing would have massive economic implications for Southern California
That is, of course, if the existing tracks don't fall into the sea first
Caltrans wins grant to begin studying extending
@PacSurfliners
to San Ysidro
Amtrak running to the country's busiest land border crossing would have massive economic implications for Southern California
That is, of course, if the existing tracks don't fall into the sea first
Good news: several intercity passenger rail lines in Washington have made it into the
@USDOTFRA
โs Corridor ID program. Those include:
๐ท Amtrak Cascades (Existing)
๐ถ Cascadia HSR (New)
๐ท North Coast Hiawatha via Eastern Washington (New)
FRA summary:
Amid record high gas prices
@sdmts
saw a 20% increase in ridership last week. Itโs a new trend MTS believes will only go up from here ๐๐
@fox5sandiego
The Oceanside Fire Department is currently engaged in fighting a fire on the Oceanside Pier. We are asking all citizens to please stay away from the immediate area.
The City of San Diego has denied a mom's petition for a stop sign in front of her child's elementary school - saying a public meeting must be held first.
We shouldn't need a public meeting to decide if children can safely walk to school.
#VisionZero
๐๐จ San Marcos is attempting to prevent bus-only lanes from being constructed in the city.
This is the second city in San Diego County to attempt to block much-needed regional transit improvements recently.
Please reject this short-sighted, pro-traffic resolution
@RebeccaJ516
Deeply disturbed by a report that a driver who struck an unhoused person and ran was released by San Diego Police. Drivers are legally required to stop after a collision, regardless of fault.
The driver should be charged. The unhoused person was severely injured.
#VisionZero
The results of San Diego's elections tonight are clear: voters are resoundingly backing pro-housing and pro-transit candidates, with all of
@YIMBYDemsSD
's endorsed candidates in the City of San Diego leading in their elections.
#YIMBY
๐ฒ๐ NEWS:
@SDCaltrans
+
@SANDAG
announces funding for separated bikeways along Pacific Highway, following years of advocacy to make this deadly corridor safer.
The bikeway will span 5.5 miles from Sea World Dr to Grape St, with network connections to the airport.
#VisionZero
@ToddGloria
Can you commit to installing a protected bike lane on Pacific Highway?
There is currently no safe way to bike from downtown to Old Town. A protected bike lane on Pac Hwy would help us meet our climate goals by connecting downtown to Midway, Old Town, PB and La Jolla.
Numerous water rescues from submerged vehicles and houses are occurring countywide, especially along Chollas Creek in southeast San Diego. Updates to follow in this thread:
Clearly, this is the result of the city investing in bike lanes.
It has nothing to do with the decades-long underinvestment in low-income communities, record-high housing prices, and terrible land use decisions that NIMBYs seek to protect and perpetuate.
โฆ
@MayorToddGloria
โฉ and โฆ
@SDCityCouncil
โฉ failed to make these storm drains the priority they should have always been. Just a portion of the money spent on unused bike lanes could have prevented much โ if not all โ of the flooding.
๐
@RepMikeLevin
secures $4M for the Orange County Coastal Rail Corridor Relocation Study. This funding will support a study for potentially relocating the rail line away from the bluffs in OC to ensure the second-busiest intercity rail corridor in the US can continue to function.
๐ฒโก๏ธYou love to see it! E-bike sales increase as gas prices soar to record highs - now is the time to build the safe bike infrastructure we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels!
@LarryTurner4SD
This number is completely wrong. San Diego's entire FY 2024 Budget is $5.17 billion.
Bike infrastructure accounts for ~0.32% of the budget.
Standing room only on this Sunday morning Blue Line to UTC. San Diego is primed for effective & equitable transit, and the popularity of the Blue Line extension opening today proves it ๐
@sdmts
@SANDAG
Hi Larry, thanks for bringing attention to this important issue. I see that you're running for Mayor. I hope you'll take some time to learn how this process works.
$446M isn't the City of San Diego, that's
@SANDAG
. San Diego allocated $16.4M last year for bicycle facilities.
๐ฒ๐ It's a beautiful morning to see San Diego's newest separated bikeway, having just been installed along Linda Vista Road! The bikeway spans the entire length of
@uofsandiego
, from Marian Way to Alcala Park Way.
Great work by the
@CityofSanDiego
- keep it up!
#VisionZero
The infrastructure in Downtown Los Angeles is so hostile to pedestrians that a church bought a shuttle bus just to help people cross the street from the parking lot.
Three new bikeways will begin construction soon in San Diego County:
๐ฒ Imperial Avenue Bikeway, connecting Downtown - Southeastern SD
๐ฒ Inland Rail Trail Phase 3, connecting Vista to Oceanside + Escondido
๐ฒ The Eastern Hillcrest Bikeways
#VisionZero
๐งต
@SwannMarcus89
I visited Amsterdam recently and could not get over how many people were wearing the clothing of American sports teams and listening to American music while eating at our finest establishments. My wife got mad at me because I kept whispering "soft power" at every corner
SANDAG will receive $500k to study eliminating eleven at-grade rail crossings within the LOSSAN corridor in downtown San Diego. Funding was requested by
@RepScottPeters
+
@AlexPadilla4CA
after the quiet zone was suspended earlier this year.
It's about to get pretty loud in Downtown San Diego; a Reddit post says that the Federal Government has ended the quiet zone restrictions from 5th St to Laurel St, requiring trains to blow their horns when they pass through the 13 at-grade crossings throughout Downtown.
As one era ends, so another begins. The city of San Diego has begun installing new parking meters in the East Village neighborhood, which will continue for several weeks. More details:
@ScottPetersSD
@RepJuanVargas
Of course, easier said than done, considering the priority right now is keeping the Surfliner operational and praying it doesn't fall into the sea. The infrastructure throughout the corridor is in dire condition. Can't even keep our quiet zones because people keep getting killed.
๐ฒ๐ San Diego's newest separated bikeway: Ruffin Road in Kearny Mesa!
The transformation of Kearny Mesa into a walkable, bikeable community has begun.
๐ ๐ SANDAG will receive $33M+ to construct 1.1 miles of double tracking through Camp Pendleton. The project will help increase reliability, flexibility, and capacity along the LOSSAN/
@PacSurfliners
corridor.
The City of La Mesa proposes its first separated bikeway along La Mesa Boulevard. The proposal also includes three new roundabouts, new pedestrian crossings, and safer intersections to increase visibility east of Downtown.
#VisionZero
The future of the Pacific Surfliner is quite literally a cliffhanger as the ocean slowly chips away at the region's only rail line.
While the rest of the US is announcing major investments in rail, San Diego and Orange Counties are stuck in the slow lane.
The
@SANDAG
Board has voted to fund the Eastern Hillcrest Bikeways project, including the Normal Street Promenade. This project has near-unanimous support from businesses in the neighborhood and will increase bike + ped access to this dense, urban community.
@sdbikecoalition
๐ฒ๐ In San Diego, businesses that were initially opposed to removing street parking for bike infrastructure have begun to embrace cyclists - some restaurants offer special packaging for cyclists, & others are requesting bike racks be installed out front.
San Diego will receive $4.1M to construct the Gilman Drive section of the Coastal Rail Trail, which will connect UCSD to the Rose Creek Bikeway to the south.
@RepScottPeters
requested funding for the new separated bikeways.
#VisionZero
San Diego is considering adding 24 parking spaces to La Jolla Shores beachfront, which the California Coastal Commission requires to keep this single block of outdoor dining. The current proposal involves removing a berm of vegetation next to Kellogg Park.
The
@CityofSanDiego
has released its "Spaces as Places" draft proposal for permanently turning parking spaces into outdoor dining or pedestrian spaces. Businesses can apply for an outdoor dining parklet, a "social curb", or can apply to have the street closed to vehicle traffic!
This week's historic storm in San Diego devastated some of our city's most underserved communities. Red dots represent home damage claims from flooding, most concentrated in Southeast.
The ground is still wet, and now we know more storms are coming. Action is needed right now
How wet will we get? It's too early to bet on it, but one forecast model ensemble has San Diego, from Thursday through Feb. 9, topping 5 inches of rain - more than half of the city's annual average. Another model set has 3.7 inches, just through Feb. 5.
#sandiegoweather
#CAwx
It should not take a lifetime for someone to achieve the American dream in San Diego.
We must build significantly more housing RIGHT NOW, in every neighborhood and at all income levels.
Last year, the City of Vista unanimously voted to expand its bikeway network and adopt
#VisionZero
.
Now, ~$2.9M is allocated for protected bikeways on major corridors throughout the City. Plans call for AC berms (curbs) and parking protection alongside flexposts (pictured).
@sam_d_1995
Between January 2020 and December 2022, 895 people were killed & 49,978 were injured in traffic collisions throughout San Diego County. These are preventable tragedies that occur on a daily basis.
#VisionZero
๐จ Video from
#SanDiego
's Encanto neighborhood appears to show a vehicle being carried away by flash flooding. Hopefully, nobody is inside - the car seems to be on as its wipers are going.
๐ฒ๐ The
@CityofSanDiego
says it will be removing ~200 parking spaces along Clairemont Mesa Blvd to install a protected bikeway, filling a significant gap in the city's bicycle network.
Thank you to all the advocates who came out to speak in favor of this project tonight.
The
@CityofSanDiego
is installing new bikeways on Convoy St., Clairemont Mesa Blvd., and Balboa Ave.
If you live, work, play, or travel around Kearny Mesa or Clairemont Mesa, come explain why safe streets are important to you at the community planning group meetings this week ๐
๐ฒ๐ The City of San Diegoโs Transportation Department has requested additional funding to install separated bikeways along the following corridors:
Linda Vista Road (D2, Linda Vista)
Nimitz Blvd (D2, Point Loma)
Park Blvd (D3, University Heights)
Lincoln Ave (D3, North Park)
It's about to get pretty loud in Downtown San Diego; a Reddit post says that the Federal Government has ended the quiet zone restrictions from 5th St to Laurel St, requiring trains to blow their horns when they pass through the 13 at-grade crossings throughout Downtown.
Four people have been struck and killed by trains in San Diego County this week, marking a deadly spike in fatalities (and delays) along our regionโs only heavy rail corridor.
NEWS: The San Diego City Council has unanimously raised
#VisionZero
and
#CompleteStreets
as top priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, adopting many recommendations from advocates and community leaders.
Some news about the Council has prioritized: ๐งต๐
๐๐๐ Great news from
@sdmts
: San Diego's public transit ridership continues to climb, with 5M+ trips a month since March 2022!
These numbers prove that San Diegans want to get out of their cars and onto buses, trains, & trolleys. Keep it up!
There have been 19 collisions at the 805 & Clairemont Mesa Road WB since 2011, killing at least one cyclist and several more people injured.
#VisionZero
#SanDiego
A 485-unit apartment complex planned in
#Encinitas
, including 72 affordable units, has been delayed again due to resident opposition.
The project has been forced to change so much that the parking garages are now taller than the apartment buildings.