Welcome to Day 4 of the SDFP Virtual Mayoral Forum. (See Day 1, Asking about managed competition, here , Day 2, Looking back on the Plaza de Panama controversy, here, Day 3, The Building Permit Process is a Hot Mess and Plans for the Planning Department, here.)

With input from our many contributors, editors put together a series of eight questions we felt were unique, not too open ended and not trite. We’re publishing one response from the candidates per day (Monday-Friday) so readers can see the verbatim responses side by side.

We emailed the questions to the addresses listed with the City Clerk’s office as contact points, knowing most of the minor candidates wouldn’t respond. Kevin Faulconer’s campaign is refusing to participate. We can only assume–and, believe me we’ve tried to get them involved– their non-response sends a message about their openness to the citizens in this city. You can decide what that message is.

Editor’s note: According to his campaign staff, Nathan Fletcher did not receive our questions until after we began publishing this virtual forum. His responses have since been added.

The complete questionnaire can be found here.

Today’s topic is about non-automotive modes of transportation in our community.  SDFP editor Anna Daniels put together an introduction to the issue so readers can see our thinking behind asking the question.

___________________________________________

Today’s candidate question about alternative transportation/mobility is one of the most complex ones that we are asking in this virtual forum.

Any meaningful discussion of safe, liveable neighborhoods and the broader urban planning concept of smart growth must address mobility issues on the neighborhood level.  This is a particularly important issue, beyond the mayoral campaign, because SANDAG is developing a Regional Transportation Plan through 2050.  The City of San Diego has seats and a weighted vote on the SANDAG board of directors.  Interim Mayor Todd Gloria and Councilwoman Marti Emerald currently represent the City.

The terms “neighborhoods” and “livable neighborhoods” figured prominently last year in then candidate Bob Filner’s campaign. The neighborhood agenda that he campaigned on reflected both a broad policy vision and specific applications at the community level. This agenda was clearly a significant element of his electoral success.

Bob Filner, as the champion of this neighborhood agenda is gone, but the momentum to carry that agenda forward has not dissipated, particularly from  those neighborhoods that began to see some positive outcomes after decades of neglect despite tireless advocacy. The current mayoral candidates in this year’s special election to replace Filner have been quick to pick up the mantle of neighborhood champion if for no other reason than it is politically expedient to do so.

While automobile drivers advocate for street repairs and maintenance, more parking options and reduced commute times, residents who walk, bike and take public transit have a different set of priorities.  There is less concern about sexy streets and more concern for maintained sidewalks and in some areas of the city, the installation of sidewalks.  Street lights take on added significance as well as the placement and number of traffic signal lights around major corridors.  Transit riders need public transit to accommodate the schedules of working people, reduce their commute times and be affordable.

There are important granular distinctions that must be taken into account when discussing mobility issues.  Residents who rely on electric wheel chairs may need places to recharge their chairs; an elderly woman who walks to the local grocery store in the early morning may have concerns about personal safety; a thirty-year old biking from North Park to work in Old Town has different issues than a high school sophomore biking four miles to school in the urban core.  One of the most pressing issues is the availability of affordable housing in  proximity of good schools, employment and quality grocery stores.

The City of San Diego is a huge city geographically speaking, encompassing 372.40 sq mi.  and containing over 100 neighborhoods  and communities.  A great deal of the discussion about mobility and liveable neighborhoods focuses on the densely populated urban core and communities south of Route 8, where more infill is anticipated. Yet urbanization (infill) will continue in a northward corridor from the Mexican border toward Camp Pendleton.  How are these issues defined, then,  in Clairemont, Rancho Bernardo, Del Mar Heights and Mira Mesa?  The question of course is to what degree the mayoral candidates are aware, truly care and have an agenda.

___________________________________________

4.  Alternative Transportation/Mobility

What is the importance of walkable/bikeable neighborhoods and public transit in San Diego?

Mike Aguirre____________________________

Too many of San Diego’s communities lack the basic amenities that make walking and biking safe, comfortable, and convenient. For the past fifty years, development has focused on automobile-friendly suburban communities. These communities are marked by wide roads meant to maximize car volume and speed, narrow or absent sidewalks and hazardous street crossings, few or discontinuous bicycle routes, and long distances separating destinations such as home, work, shops and schools.

There are barriers to walking and bicycling in many urban communities too. In some places, aging infrastructure and maintenance costs have left existing pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation amenities in disrepair, while the suburbanization of many jobs and businesses has required city residents to drive to work. These trends have an influence on our health, economy, environment and overall quality of life.

We need to re-create neighborhoods through urban infill where residents can easily walk or bike to work. We need communities with access to essential services, like public transportation, parks, libraries, and grocery stores. We should expect well-maintained, uninterrupted sidewalks and an accessible network of bicycle facilities, such as bike lanes and trails. Our streets should be clean and attractive, with landscaping, benches, lighting, and other features that make walking, biking, taking the trolley or other means of transportation more pleasant. Parents must feel comfortable allowing children to walk or bike to school.

Communities that benefit from careful planning and enlightened zoning help strengthen the social fabric of communities. For example, studies have shown that residents living in walkable environments are more likely to know their neighbors and get involved in local civic processes. Small businesses also see a benefit, as pedestrians and cyclists are apt to spend more of their dollars locally. Residents who live, work, and play in vibrant, walkable places with easy access to a range of retail and services, public transportation, and jobs enjoy a quantifiably better quality of life.

David Alvarez___________________________

Increasing “active transportation” like biking and walking is a top priority. Bicycle and pedestrian-safety initiatives, improving bicycle infrastructure and launching the city’s bike-share program will make it easier to bike and walk to and from work, the grocery store, schools and other destinations. We know that bikeable, walkable neighborhoods are shown to improve local economies, so bike initiatives aren’t just for quality of life and air pollution reduction, they make business sense as well.

As Mayor, I will partner with bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations to improve our neighborhoods. I’ll adopt the “Vision Zero” platform with a goal of zero bike and pedestrian fatalities on San Diego’s streets and will pledge to double the funds resources used to implement the city’s bike plan and increase ridership.

As Mayor and the City’s leading representative on SANDAG, I will work with my colleagues to direct more dollars to active transportation and transit versus just widening freeways. We’ve slowly been on the right track to do that but SANDAG needs to be more accountable to the City of San Diego, as the biggest population source in the county.

Land use and transit are interdependent, but it is the City that determines land use patterns while SANDAG funds transit to serve (or not) those land use patterns. In the past, we have not worked in coordination to the best of either jurisdiction’s ability. I would build a cooperative relationship with SANDAG, so neighborhoods have land use and transit that work together.

Hud Collins____________________________

Favor walkable in neighborhoods. Do not favor bikeable on public streets (alone). Public transit important to all areas.

 

 

 

Nathan Fletcher____________________________

Walkable/bikeable  neighborhoods  and  public  transit  are  vitally  important  to  San  Diego  and  its   long-­‐term vitality.  The  great  cities  of  the  future  will  be  those  with  sustainable  infrastructure   built  around  urban  cores where  people  can  live,  work,  and  play  in  the  same  community  and   travel  between  communities  with  ease.

As  mayor,  I’ll  support  innovative  planning  ideas  and  implement  the  “city  of  villages”  strategy  in   our  general plan.  I’ll  soon  be  releasing  a  plan  to  make  our  city  more  bikeable,  focusing  on   eliminating  major  danger areas.  I  also  believe  we  need  to  get  serious  about  improving  our   public  transit  system,  which  is  not  useful for  many  people  who  would  use  it  because  it’s  not   “competitive”  with  cars.  When  it  takes  several  times  longer  to  get  somewhere  via transit  than   by  car,  those  who  have  the  choice  will  choose  to  travel  by  car.     The  impact  of  having  a  walkable,  bikeable  community  is that  we’ll  be  able  to  recruit  and  keep   the  young,  talented  work  force  that  want  what  cities  like  Portland  offer  –  ease  of  mobility  and   vibrant  neighborhoods.  Our  economic  vitality,  competitiveness  as  a  region  of  innovation  and   quality  of  life  depend  on  our  moving  away from  the  old  suburban-­‐sprawl  model.

Kevin Faulconer_____________________________

 

Keep informed about the issues concerning the Special Election for San Diego Mayor this November, subscribe to “SDFP Voter Guide Special Election” and get an email every time a new article in this series is posted!