Jim Varnadore is a long time resident of City Heights resident and former chair of its planning committee who sends frequent letters to city officials and often has his “letters to the editor” printed at the U-T. Here is his latest public letter to the San Diego City Council emailed on January 23.
San Diego City Council
Ladies and gentlemen,
Walking along a thoroughfare here in City Heights recently, I noticed that there were no bicycles in the bike paths – none. I had noticed that earlier along Thirtieth
Street through North Park. It reminded me of a co-worker from some years back, a deep-dyed son of the Lone Star State; a genuine Yaller Rose of Texas who occasionally (in an unguarded moment) referred to his beloved home state as “miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles”.
I thought about that as I walked alongside the empty bike lanes – miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.
We can apparently install bike lanes by the score that take no one nowhere but cannot complete improvements to University Avenue in City Heights, leaving motorists furious and small businesses gasping for breath.
Shame on us!
Jim Varnadore
City Heights
I understand the author’s point about bike lanes being underused and a waste of resources but how exactly have they left City Heights in need? The title of the post does not reflect what the author wrote and perhaps should be revised accordingly.
He said, “…cannot complete improvements to University Avenue in City Heights, leaving motorists furious and small businesses gasping for breath.”
“I had noticed that earlier along Thirtieth
Street through North Park.”
Right.
there will likely never be many bicyclists traveling thru City Heights. Some, not many.
Yes, the same crap that’s being pushed in the College area. More density along the major arteries of El Cajon Blvd, College, and Montezuma Rd, more transit, bike lanes, and walkable communities being city planned, designed to gridlock traffic, which will bottleneck evacuation routes.
There’s no money in the Budget the mayor and the clowncil approved for fixing things for the many. BUT there’s money for bike lanes and roundabouts, the few use. It’s all about the spending of tax payers money for the Mayor’s wants, but at the expense of the City’s NEEDS.
He wants to drive around and say I did this and that, but chuck holes in the streets are not showy. Cleaning out the Chollas Creek is not showy. The multi story flat faced and flat top new buildings cluttering North Park and now popping up in other parts of the City are not showy, yet Hillcrest has nice looking, showy multi story residential units. But those multi colored bike lanes the few use, that create traffic hazards and poor air quality due to the idling are showy. No common sense in the mayor and the council, yet people voted for some more of the same. Amazing!!!!
Many of the roundabouts in North Park are too small to really establish who has the right of way.There are not more people riding bikes since the bike lanes were put in. If you drive on 30th St in the afternoon, from Adams Ave to University Ave, chances are you are in a line of 6-10 cars all the way, but there are usually no bikes. Think about it, where would you be coming from or going to on 30th St, the 805, the 5? Would you be riding a bike? What about people who live in apartments on 30th St where all the parking has been removed? 45000
people moved into core San Diego last year. Lots of them have cars.