By Mark Powell / Op-Ed San Diego Union-Tribune / July 30, 2024
[Please see original for the many links]
To effectively support our city’s climate action goals, San Diego needs more electric vehicle charging stations, not bike lanes. The funds currently allocated to converting traffic lanes into bike lanes would be better spent on installing these stations.
San Diego’s “Better by Bike” initiative has proven to be a failed climate action experiment, and city government should start converting underutilized bike lanes back into traffic lanes and halt any further conversions to make roads more accessible. You don’t need a doctorate in urban planning to realize that replacing traffic lanes with underutilized bike lanes is impacting traffic flow and commuting time.
The push to get people out of their cars and onto bicycles is idealistic but not realistic. Of the nearly 3.4 million people currently living in San Diego County, approximately 908,000 are over the age of 55. In San Diego County, 1.2 million people will be over the age of 55 by 2030. Almost one-third of our region’s population will be older adults very soon and expecting them to ditch their cars and ride a bike to commute is not only ridiculous, it is dangerous.
San Diego is not flat; there are hills, steep inclines and streets riddled with potholes. No one, especially an older adult, is going to ride a bike to a medical appointment or to Costco to pick up housing supplies. Parents are not going to pile their children onto bikes to get them to school during morning rush hour traffic, and, based on the limited use of bike lanes as compared to traffic lanes, it is abundantly clear that most residents of San Diego want to drive to work, school, malls and appointments. In fact, cycling for exercise, not for commuting, stands out as a predominant reason many choose to ride.
San Diego’s “Better by Bike” initiative involves the conversion of traffic lanes and parking spaces to make way for bike lanes. This approach aligns with the city’s broader goals to enhance mobility options and meet its climate action targets by promoting cycling and reducing car dependency. Several public streets in San Diego are scheduled to have traffic lanes converted to bike lanes, which is expected to increase traffic congestion and pollution as cars idle for longer periods. You don’t need to reference a bike-riding study or urban transportation plan to see that many bike lanes are virtually empty of cyclists.
Reallocating the funds for converting bike lanes for electric vehicle charging stations is not an anti-cyclist proposal; cyclists still need safe commuting options and to be able to safely share the roads with motorists. This approach balances the needs of both drivers and cyclists while promoting sustainable transportation solutions. This issue transcends political and climate action debates; it is about practical transportation policy. While it is clear that protected bike lanes reduce bike-related intersection injuries, a balanced approach is necessary to address the needs of all commuters. Polling shows that most residents are against converting traffic lanes into bike lanes, but when their voices are not heard and our elected officials do it anyways, it can lead to a loss of public trust and legitimacy.
Last year, San Diego County built more housing than in any of the past 17 years, yet the county is still short by at least 100,000 units. As the region continues to build more homes, inevitably there will be an increase in vehicles. Therefore, we will need more traffic lanes and parking spaces, not bike lanes and bicycle racks.
One example of a failed bike lane project is on 30th Street, when the city decided to remove approximately 450 parking spaces, sparking controversy among local residents and businesses. This project is part of San Diego’s efforts to create safer and more accessible bike routes, despite concerns about the impact on parking and traffic flow??, which continue.
It is essential for our elected leaders to create a bike lane plan that maintains existing traffic lanes. If government officials continue to replace traffic lanes with bike lanes, we will spend more time in traffic, staring at empty bike lanes and questioning how we allowed this to happen to America’s Finest City.
Powell is the former vice president of the San Diego County Board of Education. He holds a master’s degree in educational counseling and is an adjunct professor at National University. He lives in San Diego.
Electric cars, self-driving cars, and car sharing is the future.
The bicycle was invented in the 1800s and still hasn’t caught on here as a form of transportation. I use mine for leisure as do most bike owners. You have to be in a very “privileged” position to be able to use a bike as your primary form of transportation. IE, work from home job, no young children, pay for grocery deliveries, no job-related equipment or DIY supplies to haul around.
I’d love to see the demographics of the people being subsidized by these bike lanes, vs. the car commuters that are losing out to them.
I’m afraid you’re right, altho’ go to other societies and bikes are a main way to get around.
Maybe when we all reach 3rd-world poverty levels, we’ll have no choice. Of course we’d be evicted before that happens.
LOL
And go live in the mega shelter?
“car sharing” = taxi cabs (no diff)
I mean it in the context of people’s personal vehicles, or subscription-based vehicles being used to transport others. I think this will become our reality as self-driving cars become more widely accepted. Taxi companies are dinosaurs. The only time I’ll hire a taxi is if they happen to be right there when I need one, such as leaving an airport.
Going to the SD single runway “international” airport from PL:
Yellow cab (taxi) $ is 1/2 of Uber (car sharing/taxi) $.
Semantics. Yes.
Taxi? Yes.
Uber? No.
Semantics… like “home-sharing” (STVR).
My husband and I shared one car and used our bikes to commute for over 7 years. During part of that time we were both over age 55! This was pre-pandemic, i.e. no work from home. It takes determination, more than privilege. The Zip car share really helped. We also rented a car as needed. No need to pay for grocery delivery. We were finally done in by elder care which caused us to need to get home more quickly. My car commute was 28 miles RT and husband’s was over 20. We both commuted far fewer miles on bike by using public transit also. Our 2nd car is electric and we charge it in a standard outlet at home.
San Diego has a vibrant bicycle community that is growing day by day, enabled by increasing the number of bike lanes. E-bikes are effectively flattening San Diego and making long-distance riding feasible for anyone. I see many people on bikes who are way into their 70s. Nobody is talking about banning cars in San Diego, but lets give alternative options a real chance.
Let’s not and say we did. I was able to ride in a Uber/ Tesla to the airport recently. The driver said they have to charge at a supercharger which lasts nearly an hour. He’s a renter with no overnight charging. With all of our rental units being built, think of that mess once the state government mandates EV’s with this shoddy infrastructure. Doing these “green” things without fully accounting for the ramifications the actions create. Doing “green” technology means more money out of your pocket these days.
And how many of those bikes are replacing cars? Versus just leisure use.
I can say I honestly tried the bike as transportation option. I went out and spent over $1000 on an e-bike (is this a write-off in taxes? Unlikely!). I tried to bike to appointments and work. I found myself riding bike lanes that suddenly ended (eg Harbor Drive south try turn left on Laurel). I found myself almost getting hit multiple times by cars. I found the paths to be bumpy (much like our roads) with pit holes and large debris). I worried about where to park it and lock it without fearing it would be stolen (positive note- the Hyatt downtown will lock it up for you with the Bellman). I worried my battery would die and had no charging station… anywhere… for a bike. I’m one of these older San Diegans who tries to stay fit but there are limits to what we all can do on a bike! Enough is enough with this delusional plan.
Sounds like the lack of investment in safe and easy to use infrastructure is what stopped you, not age.
Sara – I am sorry to hear about your experience. I agree with most of your arguments, but I think they are actually arguments for building better bike lanes, not to give up on them.
As for bikes getting stolen – have you thought about getting an insurance for your bike and ride around worry-free? Also, how far do you ride?! Bike batteries get you pretty far these days!
“Enough is enough with this delusional plan.”
So because it didn’t work out for you, this “delusional” plan should be discontinued?
As it is being implemented? A resounding yes.
Strange logic.
And really Sara, a charging station lol? Most ebikes are charged from a standard outlet after removing the battery.
Yes many of the bike lanes DO suddenly end and Harbor Dr is an absolute death trap, especially heading South. And yes many are covered in derbis. All the nore for bikes lanes to be improved. More money should be spent on them, not less.
Harbor Dr is also a death trap heading north! Let’s see, do I want to dodge tourists taking pictures on the Embarcadero or ride the wrong direction through the one-way parking lot? No. Well then let me try the airport side. I only tempted fate with that last maneuver one time. I used to ride on the roads all the time (in another city).
But at least I wasn’t crossing a freeway entrance ramp, like so many others contend with on the “bike path”. San Diego is definitely not a cyclist’s dream for commuting.
Heading south I always ride in the actual bike lane until I reach the entrance of Harbor Island and from the get on the multi use path. If m heading north same thing. I’ll ride along the multi use path then cross the street at the intersection past the entrance to Harbor Island and then ride the actual bike lane.
More money in our deficit state? Hell no.
We lived on 30th St in a home without a driveway, garage, or alley. It was great until they removed all but ONE parking space on our block. Grocery shopping became a bigger chore than normal with multiple wagon runs, sometimes up to two blocks away. And that was a weekly shop, forget about for holidays, etc. We had a mattress delivered and had to pay extra $$ because there was no place for the truck to park. We wanted to purchase a hybrid or EV but with no parking on 30th we figured we’d have to run an extension cord all the way to 29th St! What a joke. We moved!
Love riding the bike lanes along 30th for the most part. Glad they were put in.
It appears that you paid no attention whatsoever to the story of how those bike lanes adversely affected LouLou. Not a bit of empathy,
Comparing San Diego to cities in Europe is crazy. Amsterdam is a 5-mile circle and flat as a pancake – 20 square miles vs. San Diego’s 342 square miles, including hills and canyons.
The lunacy of bike lanes on Convoy is unparalleled. I was looking for a new car and could not find a parking space on Convoy or the side streets – now all those spaces are gone. The Convoy area has no housing while Mark Powell’s calculations are solid. The “leadership” of this city is headed in the wrong direction on most issues. They are killing the golden goose in this beautiful town.
It’s not either bike lanes or car charging stations, that’s just your strawman argument. Let’s be honest – those of you hating on bike lanes don’t like being stuck in traffic. I get it. I commuted by car for years and hated it. Highways at rush hour are a nightmare in San Diego. That’s where you are stuck though, the highways and interstates, not some city streets where we now slowly build a network of bike lanes to eventually allow people to get around without a car and without fearing for their life.
I drive a lot and I also bike. When I bike to work, I am one car less on the highway. You should all be smart and work towards getting more people onto bicycles (and the trolley and buses). That’s the only way you’ll be able to drive without being stuck in the future. The city is growing – uptown is supposed to have 100,000 more inhabitants by 2050. You want them all to drive? Good luck getting into OB on a summer weekend. Imagine instead fostering a bike culture where many of them ride their bikes and e-bikes on the OB bike path. That’s how you lighten traffic. What you need for this to work is a complete network for biking. I bike to work and most of it is great, but I have a stretch where I fear for my life every day. Many of my co-workers drive just because they fear getting hit by a car. We are close, but we are not there yet. Let’s finish what the city has started and get people off the roads. I’ll be happy about it every day I’ll drive my car.
“Fix the Damn Roads!” Gov. Whitmer Michigan. Pothole abound…big ones!
I look but almost never see bike riders on Nimitz Blvd and other streets in Point Loma and Ocean Beach. I would say the money spent on the elaborate bike lanes has been wasted.
Liar.
Chris, just because DrTom says something you don’t like, calling him a liar is just indefensible. I hope you are a better person than that.
And, frankly, I drive and ride my bike on Nimitz frequently and, with the exception of a very few regular commuters that I have come to recognize, I rarely see riders on Nimitz other than groups of obviously recreational riders. I’m guessing they are recreational because I don’t believe commuters ride in large groups.
Recently, I had to wait to pick up my wife who was taking a class in Balboa Park. The class went longer than she anticipated, meaning I had to wait for well over an hour for her to be finished. Out of curiosity, I went to the zoo parking lot and counted the number of bikes using the new Park
Blvd. bike lanes. It worked out to be one rider in each direction every 15 minutes, on average. Admittedly this was anecdotal and not during what would be considered normal commuting hours, but for this we had to lose hundreds of parking spaces?
I live on Park just half way between Cypress and Upas. Prior to those bike lanes being put in place, riding down Park (south of Upas towards DT) could be a death trap during a busy time frame.
I’ll second what Paul said. Just because you disagree, that is no reason to call the guy a liar. That was his experience and you have absolutely no way of proving that he lied. That kind of comment is childish.
I have an ebike and use it as much as I can recreationally, as well as when my schedule affords me enough time to run errands with it. I say this with 100% certainty – I have ridden the Nimitz bike path hundreds of times – and not ONCE have I encountered a second rider at the same time.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy the protected lane exists, but what is the lie about the usage of it?
I think one reason it is not used more is that flex posts don’t protect anyone and the 45 mph speed limit on that road is routinely ignored.
As someone who was hit (intentionally) and nearly hit a few other times, Mark Powell can go f**k himself.
I made my comment about hoping you were a better person than that before I saw this post. Hmm…
Admittedly I get heated. Nearly losing your life isn’t fun.
I’m sure it isn’t but taking it out on others who had nothing to do with that makes no sense. I was T-boned on my scooter one day and spent the whole day in the ER. I only blamed that driver.
Chris, I was cut off by a driver at Voltaire and Catalina, hit a curb and ended up with injuries requiring surgery, so yeah, I get it. But that does not excuse the comment you made.
I want safe bike lanes. I want bike safety to be a priority. I also want safe driving condition and don’t want increased congestion.
I also want a real bike master plan with a well designed bike network. What we have is a mayoral administration that seems to want to pit us all against each other – cyclists v. drivers, homeowners v. renters, long term residents v. owners of STRVs. This has got to stop.
“One example of a failed bike lane project is on 30th Street, when the city decided to remove approximately 450 parking spaces, sparking controversy among local residents and businesses.”
A perfect example of how disingenuous Mark’s opinion is. The bike lanes along 30th very much get used. Probably more so than most of the other bike lanes in SD (with the exception of University in Hillcrest), so its a dishonest statement to say they’re a failed project.
“cycling for exercise, not for commuting, stands out as a predominant reason many choose to ride”
Huh? Why can’t you get your exercise while commuting? It worked for me.
City officials: did you survey bicycle riders? I ride a bike with thin tires using leg power. Bike lanes that are marked by white plastic poles are less safe for me to ride on than a regular street shoulder. A city street sweeper truck can’t clean the bike lanes of the accumulation of broken glass, garbage, rocks, and tree leaves and branches due to the poles. If a cyclist ahead of me (especially on an incline) slows or stops, I’m in trouble; can’t easily pass due to the poles while trying to dodge debris to avoid getting a flat tire, and avoid traffic. What is meant to protect me has increased the problems I have to navigate busy city streets. I assume that no city employee has ever ridden over the West Mission bridge that spans Mission Bay. How about Balboa Ave? You have to be a daredevil to use that bike lane; it’s full of junk and overgrown with wild plants. If safety of cyclists is a high concern, if the city wants people to ride bicycles, the city has to now maintain the segregated bike lanes. Add this to the list of wasteful spending of the $50M TOT taxes collected from short-term rentals.
I made a Public Records Request asking the city for a copy of its bike lane maintenance schedule, because all of that paint and those flex posts will need regular maintenance. I also asked for a copy of the maintenance budget.
The city responded. There are no such documents.
8/06/24: Thanks Geoff. Lack of maintenance of bicycle lanes, as well as streets, is a public safety issue which affects all areas of San Diego; it’s not limited to District 2 or District 5.
What’s the point of government, if not to protect its citizens?
I think someone sold the emperor new invisible clothes/bike lane poles. Besides our city officials’ claim they use the STVR $50M TOT money to improve San Diego (no proof of this), they have taken the CA state law for mandating ADUs and turned it into the most permissive ADU law in California and possibly in the entire USA.
I know of no other city in the USA which allows 12 ADUs behind one single family home. Only San Diego. You have based the permitting of 12 ADUs on the idea that people living in these ADU apartment buildings tucked deep into residential neighborhoods of single family homes will walk, roll, or use public transportation. Ha Ha.
Geoff and I have easily poked a hole in this weak logic. The few existing bike lanes in San Diego need serious cleaning right now. If you can’t maintain these few lanes, then how can you contemplate adding more segregated bike lanes? (I won’t get into whether or not they’re needed.) They’re not safe! How the heck do you expect people to ride bicycles over broken glass and debris on hilly streets? I’ve got land at the end of the pier I’d like to sell you, too.
I spent my whole career in San Diego construction, much of it involving street work. I know that all that green paint all those sharrows all those flex posts will need regular maintenance. To build something with no maintenance plan – or budget – is grossly irresponsible. But then, it’ll be the next mayor’s problem.
@Trudy I kinda wish we had “Like” or hearts we could quickly add to posts. I bet you would stack them up saying what we all here in OB can agree with. Thank you for taking the time and posting.
I questioned this when they were proposing the road diet along WPL.. how would the bike lanes ever get cleaned? The city then apparently brought in a new mini electric street sweeper for this.
They would probably need to make it even smaller to address some of these other “protected” bike lanes. And by protected, I simply mean they have a barrier to maintenance, not that it will actually protect anyone.
This is something that I learned, to my great surprise, many years ago when working on the Bay Route Bikeway. Many, if not most, serious cyclists do not favor grade separated bike lanes for the reasons Trudy cites.
Might as well just bring the curbs in and put the bike lanes up top. I’d rather compete with the occasional pedestrian than cars.
I’ve seen this done in downtown seattle. It adds even more cost though.
All this “density” caused by the City’s plan for future development could well force people to rethink their toxic relationship with cars both EV and gas and embrace bicycles. Should that happen, in years to come those bike lanes could be viewed as visionary and prove all the naysayers wrong
Or we could reverse the toxic development plan, stop overbuilding without infrastructure, once Toad is out, and go back to normal, bc cars will not be eliminated.
That’s it, isn’t it, Carl, “force people.” Well, when you “force” people you get well deserved resistance. One opinion does not rule.
You’re batting a 1,000 on this post. If this is going to be your response to everyone you disagree with, perhaps you should stay off the keyboard.
That comment was meant for Chris.
Oookay. I wasn’t meaning that as an attack on you. I simply said it was meant for you because I didn’t post it where I meant to.
That’s ok, I didn’t take it that you did.
I simply don’t buy that he “almost never” sees anyone riding there. I’m not claiming it’s Amsterdam or even that they get used as much as other lanes here in SD, but I ride there frequently and always see other riders. Even when I drive there I always see at least a few, and that to me justifies them being there. Granted those lanes are pretty flawed as far as debris and once you get closer to the 8 (if heading west), you get launched into a slip lane on a couple occasions. They need improvement, but I definitely would never ride along Nimitz without them.
What was a response to Geoff.
Well, not buying it and calling a person a liar are very different. I live near Nimitz and I see very few bicycles. It’s a mystery to me why anyone would ride a bicycle on that urban freeway, especially when there are plenty of safer alternatives.
It’s tough to judge the success of bike lanes until they’ve been there for a certain period of time (Nimitz has been there for plenty of time but maybe not 30th). But when a bike lane is new, there is inertia before you realize that you could re-think your daily commuting habits. You may not even know about it for a while, because you usually go straight to the freeway in your multi-ton hunk of metal.
A reality check: If you regularly drive on 30th Street in North Park, you will inevitably find yourself in a single-lane traffic backup that stretches for a block or longer. While you are stuck in your idling car, you will look over at a bike lane (that used to be a second lane for cars), and you won’t see any bikes in it. This has been happening all day long. Every day. For years. How much longer should we ignore daily evidence that the 30th Street bike lanes have worsened our community’s air quality instead of improving it?
was wondering which bike lanes OddTodd uses to get to “work”?
Doubt he even knows how to ride a bike.
A cbs8 story on the convoy bike lanes. An interview with a bike rider too. LOL
https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/convoys-new-bike-lines/509-ab88baee-2634-4f36-a280-683a2e4f8d8d
Agree somewhat. What I think are needed are MORE TROLLEY LINES. If the goal is to encourage people to ride public transportation, we should have stops close to residential neighborhoods, and make it so that no one is more than one mile from a trolley stop, including suburban housing areas. Plus we need trolley stops near all major office, entertainment, shopping, amusement, and major recreational areas of town. Some of the underserved areas include Bankers Hill, Hillcrest, Mid-City, Talmadge, Kensington, Broadway Heights, Kearny Mesa, Allied Gardens, North Mission Valley, Tierrasanta, University City, Scripps Ranch, Miramar, Mira Mesa, Inland Del Mar, North Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Clairemont, Sorrento Valley, San Diego Tech Center, Poway, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Carmel Valley, Del Sur, 4S Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, Elfin Forest, Fairbanks Ranch, Olivenhain, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista, Ramona, Valley Center, Julian, Cuyamaca, Crest, and others. If we had reliable trolley and metro to all the locations people need to go around town, this would reduce the number of car trips.
Plus, I think that expanding electric car charge stations is also worth the cost.
Plus, we need to build a lot of