SAN DIEGO — Ask anyone in San Diego about bike lanes, and you'll hear strong opinions on both sides. As the City looks to update their bicycle master plan, which hasn't been done since 2013, they're asking for your input.
“We want it to be safe, we want it to be fun. We want it to be equitable. We want everyone to be able to move around San Diego as they need,” said Heather Werner, Interim Director of the City of San Diego's Sustainability and Mobility Department. “We want to hear from everyone whether you cycle a lot or only use it a little bit, or even if you’re just a little cycle curious.”
The survey consists of questions about ridership habits and interactive maps that will help the city prioritize future projects.
“We want to know if you’re riding a bike, whether it’s one quick trip to the grocery store or you’re using it for your whole commute," said Werner. "That tells us a lot about what we’re seeing.”
But not everyone is a fan of all the new bike lanes. In some cases, new bikeways have reduced the amount of street parking.
“It’s harder and harder to keep our businesses open, and when there’s no parking, customers stop coming,” said Carmen Cooley-Graham, Director of the J.A. Cooley Museum on Park Blvd and longtime critic of the City's bike lane efforts.
“The real heartbreaking thing is the bike lanes aren’t being used, and it’s actually creating more of an unsafe environment in the neighborhood. We’ve had a couple pedestrians almost get hit walking from the car to the sidewalk," said Cooley-Graham. “The real reason that we’re putting in bike lanes is so big developers can come in here, put in high-density and no parking."
Since 2015, the City of San Diego has invested $55 million on bike lane projects, some of which will be built out through next year.
“This is not about forcing people to stop driving forcing people onto a bike. This is about expanding options,” said San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who bikes to work as often as he can. “Gas is expensive. Cars are expensive. Insurance is expensive. And letting folks have the option to get around in a more affordable way, that’s a fantastic thing and very important for us to do.”
You have until September 10 to take the survey at sandiego.gov/bmpu. The feedback will be used to create a draft plan for the bicycle master plan update by the end of 2025.
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