Voice of San Diego doesn’t want to make judgment calls…
By John Anderson
Harbor Drive East – Towards Downtown
Voice of San Diego (VOSD) has been operating a Tumblr site featuring the damaged state of sidewalks across San Diego coined The Stumblr. San Diegans are encouraged to send in photos from their neighborhood and the images are added to the site. It’s a great idea to bring a public issue to light and has even received some love nationally including a nod from The Atlantic.
In preparation for our SDFP focus on Barrio Logan, fellow writer Brent Beltran noted the poor (read: non-existent) status of sidewalks in parts of the neighborhood, specifically along Harbor Drive. Brent has a young son and mentioned he, and other Barrio residents, would like to be able to walk up to Seaport Village, the bayfront, Convention Center, and other destinations in the south-western part of Downtown. No surprise – that area of Downtown is popular with locals and visitors alike and is a great place for a stroll, picnic, or throwing a frisbee.
Harbor Drive West – Towards Cesar Chavez
I was already familiar with the area, but am usually on my bicycle and not paying particular attention to sidewalks. I went out to specifically check out the area and take some photos. There are large distances with nary a bit of cement sidewalk. The options for a pedestrian are to walk on a dirt path, or on the shoulder of Harbor Drive, which has a posted speed limit of 40 mph and to my eye is often exceeded by passing traffic.
In addition to Harbor Drive, I noticed this stretch of Sigsbee Street that also lacks sidewalks. However, where train and trolley track upgrades have recently taken place sidewalks have been installed. On both sides of the tracks, however, the sidewalk abruptly ends to be replaced by rock-strewn dirt.
Not having sidewalks is bad enough but this block of Sigsbee ends on one corner of Perkins Elementary. The proximity to a school alone should be enough to get sidewalks installed here.
The lack of sidewalks builds on the severe environmental issues that Barrio Logan residents face. As noted by the Environmental Health Coalition (EHC), the neighborhood ranks among the very worst in the state for environmental, health, economic, and social disadvantage issues. Sidewalks may be a small issue but they are another small slight and disadvantage that makes it more difficult to walk, get outdoors, and encourage healthy habits for neighborhood residents young and old.
Sigsbee at Harbor, facing North East
Ernie McCray recently wrote about the extreme differences between the two communities at the ends of the Coronado Bridge: the city of Coronado and the neighborhood of Barrio Logan. It’s a moving read and especially if you have children likely to make you feel a bit tight in the throat, chest, and eye corners. A lack of sidewalk infrastructure doesn’t create severe disabilities, but it is another chip stacked against those living in the area having a healthy environment to live, work, and play in.
I took these photos of spots in Barrio Logan that would seem to be likely candidates for sidewalk installations and sent them to VOSD as a submission for The Stumblr. I thought it was a great example of what they were looking for, but my submission was turned down. I was informed that “sometimes it’s unclear whether they’re not there for a particular reason” and VOSD doesn’t want to make judgment calls on that issue. I was surprised, but that makes sense – there are likely plenty of areas in town (along highways, in more rural sections, etc.) that might not warrant sidewalks.
At the same time, this lack of recognition for an environmental slight in Barrio Logan seems fitting. 43 years after the establishment of Chicano Park there remain large murals stating ‘Hasta La Bahia’ (Until the Bay) representing the desire of the neighborhood to have access to San Diego Bay. Crosby Park offers bay access at the foot of Cesar Chavez Parkway but most of the parking is utilized by workers of the businesses on the bayfront.
Sigsbee at Harbor – Rail Project Improvement Sidewalk
It’s Barrio Logan – who cares? Large diesel trucks come through the neighborhood, often using the side streets rather than Harbor Drive. It’s Barrio Logan – who cares? And many years ago: We need to build a freeway. It’s Barrio Logan – who cares? The same could be said for the lack of sidewalks accessing downtown. It’s Barrio Logan – who cares?
The past weekend saw celebrations in San Diego for both Chicano Park Day in Barrio Logan and Earth Day in Balboa Park. The coincidence is fitting and a reminder that although some good has been done for the health and environment of our world and community in the past few decades there is much work remaining. As with every journey it begins with a single step – ideally on a safe surface for those doing the walking.
John P. Anderson
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Great job, John Anderson. The city celebrates its Harbor Drive only so
far as the tourist zone; once it reaches Barrio Logan it tells the vecinos to
eat dirt. We don’t have the money for sidewalks maybe because it’s
going to be given to the hotels and their expanded convention centers, and
to the not-so-needy Spanos family for a nearby stadium for their Chargers?
Or because we’re still trying to pay off Petco Park? There’s a metaphor
somewhere in all this.
Thanks Bob. Maybe part of the funding issue is the $26.8 million spent for the pedestrian bridge between the Hilton and Petco / Gaslamp.
Our very own bridge to nowhere boondoggle.
When is the city going to pave the sidewalks from the Convention Center south on Harbor Drive to Barrio Logan? Is this city for tourists and the hotel and restaurant industry or is it for the people who live here? Maybe they should be given some consideration too.
Hello-
I’m Liam, the reporter who runs TheStumblr (thestumblr.com) for Voice of San Diego. I’m glad John highlighted this issue, and wanted to add a few more details about our sidewalks coverage.
We care very much about missing sidewalks in underserved communities and near schools. Our coverage of a dangerous half-mile stretch of missing sidewalk outside San Ysidro High pushed the city to find $4.5 million to fully fund the sidewalk installation. ). We’ve also written about a homeowner who wants to put in a sidewalk near a school in Pacific Beach. ).
But sometimes it might be unclear for one reason or another why a sidewalk doesn’t exist, and whether it’s necessary or desired. During my coverage of the District 4 council race, I heard from some residents in Encanto that they prefer some sidewalk-less sections of their neighborhood because it gives the area a more rural feel.
My point in my exchange with John is that it’s tough for us to fully report out the reasons surrounding every missing section of sidewalk. So for our sidewalks blog, TheStumblr, we limit the photos to broken ones.
Hope this helps provide some context. Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Your context does a disservice. The reason there’s no sidewalk there? It’s Barrio Logan. The powers that be in SD have ignored my community for decades. It’s shameful that this stretch of Harbor has no sidewalks. I’m glad there are media outlets like SDFP to help give Voice to San Diego communities such as this.
I’m not defending missing sidewalks in Barrio Logan. From the photos it certainly seems shameful, as you say. I started my response to the story saying that I’m glad John wrote about them. I’m glad it’s been publicized.
My only point is that we don’t have time to investigate the reasons why every missing sidewalk doesn’t exist and that I’ve learned through my reporting that sometimes the answer isn’t obvious. For that reason, we’re not using missing sidewalk photos on the blog, only broken ones.
Again, our reporting shows that we care a great deal about missing sidewalks in underserved communities and near schools.
Short Answer: It’s complicated.
Long Answer: The context is valid, and not a disservice, specifically in regards to the Stumblr reporting. Making a blanket statement that everywhere should have sidewalks is not realistic. You don’t know the property situation for every stretch and many of the areas in and near Barrio Logan along the bayfront are industrial, including Harbor Drive south of Park Blvd, and that property could belong to a business that doesn’t want to have a sidewalk on their property. This is the reality of having a working bay, and not a purely vacationing/recreation bay. Frankly, I think this article that was written is a far better voice for the need to connect these areas than a picture of some dirt.
Mike – well put. Thanks for reading and I appreciate the comment.
I didn’t make a blanket statement about having sidewalks everywhere.
There is no industry on either side of that stretch of Harbor. There’s a train yard on the west side and empty warehouses and trolley tracks on the east side. There is plenty of space to create sidewalks on either side.
Not having sidewalks there is a disservice to the residents of Barrio Logan. Just one of many
I’m pretty sure that stretch of Harbor is not owned by businesses. If it was it would be fenced off. But if it is there are more liability issues by not having a sidewalk than there would be if there was. It’s easier for pedestrians to trip and fall on a dirt path than on a sidewalk.
Liam,
Thanks for the comment and clarification (as well as your work on sidewalk and other issues throughout the city and county). I’ve enjoyed The Stumblr as well as other articles on sidewalks, especially the San Ysidro one.
I understand it’s not possible or pratical to research every piece of pavement in town that comes your way, in the article I tried to emphasize this: “I was surprised, but that makes sense – there are likely plenty of areas in town (along highways, in more rural sections, etc.) that might not warrant sidewalks.”
I wrote this article to highlight this specific stretch and it’s not intended as a criticism, I hope it wasn’t taken as one. (Side note: I did not select the sub-headline.)
Thanks, John.
Liam-
Obviously there’s some confusion about what the limitations/purposes of VOSD’s Stumblr is. Perhaps you might want to publish something explaining much of what you’ve just posted above? The Stumblr is a great idea, and you’ve done some great work with it, but without some much needed context it does occasionally lend the appearance of bias toward/against certain neighborhoods. Most of that can be reasonably explained away, as you’ve done above. Maybe put that kind of explanation in a VOSD piece?
Andy-
Point noted on perhaps adding the broken vs. missing sidewalks issue as Stumblr context. Will chat with editors about it.
That said, I’d challenge the idea that The Stumblr “occasionally lend(s) the appearance of bias toward/against certain neighborhoods.”
We rely on user submissions for the photos so the photos we’re getting comes from users. You’ll see a lot from older, Mid-City neighborhoods in part, I suspect, because they’re old and in part because a lot of our readers live or work there.
I’m aware that many southern and eastern areas of the city are also old so I’ve reached out to more than a half-dozen nonprofits, groups or political offices to try to solicit photos from these areas. You’ll notice when you look at your map ) that many of the photos taken in southern and eastern areas now come from me or VOSD staff.
I’m always on the lookout for more broken sidewalks diversity and am excited to include photos that you, your staff or anyone else may take in areas different than what we have now.