Let's Encourage Bicycle Commuting

By Brian T. Peterson, San Diego

E-MAIL STORY

Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007 | To Councilmember Frye: If the city, or you as a civic leader, would like to do any one thing to address climate change, encourage bicycle commuting. As it is now, the city does everything it can to discourage the use of the bike as a mode of transportation.

True, there are many bike lanes, but there are very few dedicated bicycle paths. The bike lanes are full of hazards, such as road debris, shards of broken glass, service access to underground utilities, and curbside drains. More frequent street sweeping would be a great help. And, in the future, not placing manholes in the middle of bike lanes would be a plus. The safest and best approach would be to build dedicated bike paths, which would not have any of the aforementioned hazards.

How would a cash-strapped city, such as San Diego, get the money for improved bicycle facilities, you ask? By reining in the Redevelopment Agency. Does the city really need 13 redevelopment areas? What could the city do with its share of the property tax the Redevelopment Agency collects? My guess is that if the city stopped redevelopment in the areas that are not blighted, the city’s share of the property tax would more than cover the city’s operating deficit for the coming year. City government would once again be able to do the routine things, like sweeping the streets, or building bike paths.

6 Comments so far on this story...

Dear Mr. Peterson: Dedicated bike paths have their own problems. For one, they're usually not as well constructed as standard roads. One prime example is the Rose Canyon Bike Path, which in the space of less than two miles shows quite a few signs of subsidence. Also, dedicated bike paths are often planned by landscapers instead of transportation engineers, and landscapers seem to be in love with blind corners and other incidental hazards. If we'd fix the roads, they'd be safer and more usable for cyclists. And the roads go where transportional cyclists want to go.

Posted by Robert Leone | reply to this comment
February 13, 2007 12:53 pm

I rode my bike to work once. It took me an hour and I took the trolley home because I realized the majority of the trip back would be uphill. Bicycle commuting would only work for a very few who live close enough to their workplace and who's schedule lends itself to daylight hours

Posted by Sandy | reply to this comment
February 13, 2007 3:15 pm

I do so twice a week. 20 miles each way. Dodging San Diego's nut job drivers. Such a joy. How about a curb to ensure these morons don't run me over on my way.

Posted by I'm in! | reply to this comment
February 14, 2007 2:35 am

Brian, you are absolutely correct. San Diego has the perfect climate to foster a much higher use of bike paths. The City and businesses should give a much higher priority to developing bike paths and the ancillary facilities to encourage their use. One physical problem that San Diego has is the number if hills to climb. A first class bike system should include lift facilities to surmount hills, with paths designed to take advantage of gravity. Think of the energy, space, and money to be saved and health improved. Tourists would love it.

Posted by Dave Wood | reply to this comment
February 14, 2007 2:52 am

A good, close-by example of a city with dedicated bicycle trails and bicycle lanes on city streets is Irvine. I used them to commute to UCI and get exercise on some weekends. Of course, when one has a master-planned city, it's easier to do, and San Diego does have more hills. Still, do it to the extent possible.

Posted by Mark | reply to this comment
February 15, 2007 8:17 am

As a 16 year bicycle commuter in the Inland Empire, engendering a share the road ethic is key to effective cycling. When bicyclists act and are treated as drivers of vehicles every road is in effect a bike way! The key component a community can assist with is multimodal integration (bikes on buses and trains), secure bike parking at work sites and shopping centers. Make it fun, throw a party. http://midnightridazz.com/ is doing it up in LA, try something like that in San Diego, get a bike culture going and you will be amazed!

Posted by Jonathan | reply to this comment
February 23, 2007 6:28 am

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