San Diego NIMBYs (San Jose, San Francisco, Riverside: 2015, transporting, neighborhoods)

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by The Flying Dutchman

I had and still have a lot of hope for this city. It has a lot going for it like good weather, nice people, of which are seemingly infinite.

I agree with your post, so sorry to single you out. I think this sentence is the underlying reason why improved city planning and progress are extremely difficult in this city.

Locals are so phased by their "great weather, nice scenery, we have no problems" attitude that they don't stop to realize that the built environment and infrastructure is severely lacking for a city of its size.

Take away the the nice weather, good mexican food, a nice scenery and examine the city itself. The thing that we built. It's extremely lackluster and San Diego has limited substance under these superficial features which are not even in our control.

There's a lot more to improve, so take off the SD shades that blind you to the reality that our city would be extremely underwhelming without its natural resources. At the same time, this inherent potential for improvement is what I love about San Diego.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by Pedro2000

I get what you're trying to say, but making a point that people shouldn't expect to drive a car into their old ages and then complaining about issues with Bike Lanes makes little sense. If a person is too old to drive, they sure aren't going to be riding a bike. So that bike lane becomes pointless for most middle aged people then.

I also hope that these fragile seniors are not taking up biking in place of their expired license

"Transportation alternatives" also includes improving the pedestrian/walking infrastructure of our cities. Seniors would most benefit from safer crosswalks, wider sidewalks, and ADA compliant street features.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by Pedro2000

Like it or not, many people will never use public transportation. Transfers are a pain, some trains or buses are never on time. Or it takes 20-30 minutes just to get to a station. Or SD still is in the stone age where it's cash only. It's not always the case, but even going to del mar fairgrounds without cash on you, you can't even buy tickets or park. Like it or not, that's all part of the same mindset.

I'm sure that is what people said about LA in the 1970s. Now, 12% of LA rides transit. Maybe that doesn't seem like a huge number, but that's 466,000 people.

So you can speak about better bike lanes or people need to use public transportation more, but the reality is, it is a mindset that doesn't seem to exist in SD.

Then how do we prepare for the next 1,000,000? Transit is not in our mindset, so let's just make broadway a highway through downtown? Let's just bulldoze more communities or properties for wider roads?

Something that Americans in general can not grasp is that widening a road is like widening your belt. It doesn't mean you are going to get thinner, it just means you are more comfortable for the time being.

[Tulemutt]

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” - Edward Abbey

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” - Edward Abbey

Then maybe you should move to a country that isn't growing. You do realize that the majority of growth in San Diego's population is from within, right? Should we create a San Diego that can't support our children? Is it time to have a one-child only policy?

I wasn't aware that children are cancerous.

[LuvSouthOC]

A few points.

1. San Diego is so nice that it draws people even with substandard infrastructure. Consider San Diego rather like Hawaii in that regard.

2. San Diego's population is getting older and has little interest in the things that younger people would like for it to have.

3. San Diego still has financial troubles and can ill afford many infrastructure additions. It's future is already questionable unless pension reform is completed for city employees.

4. San Diego is and has been a place where people bring their money, money they've made elsewhere. Building more infrastructure doesn't change that fact appreciably.

5. With respect to mass transit for the sake of mass transit, lest we forget ( I won't), there was that boondoggle...the Sprinter. Federal money was wasted too ("free" money). Now it has to be maintained.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Hurdle #1 Water.

Let's not pretend this is a recent thing. We've allowed growth in the last 20 years to the point it really isn't prudent until we get problem number one solved.

Last, I commute by bike as often as possible. It's not as unsafe as you all are making it out to be.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

A few points.

1. San Diego is so nice that it draws people even with substandard infrastructure. Consider San Diego rather like Hawaii in that regard.

3. San Diego still has financial troubles and can ill afford many infrastructure additions. It's future is already questionable unless pension reform is completed for city employees.

4. San Diego is and has been a place where people bring their money, money they've made elsewhere. Building more infrastructure doesn't change that fact appreciably.

Yes, these are the reasons that it is difficult for progressive city planning in SD.

2. San Diego's population is getting older and has little interest in the things that younger people would like for it to have.

San Diego's growing senior population should really be more concerned with how they are going to get around once they can no longer drive. Who cars about planning for younger generations?! What happens when driving isn't an option for seniors?

5. With respect to mass transit for the sake of mass transit, lest we forget ( I won't), there was that boondoggle...the Sprinter. Federal money was wasted too ("free" money). Now it has to be maintained.

In my opinion, the Sprinter is not a waste of money in the long run. Did it need to be built so soon, without the existing development and demand? Probably not.

However, North County does not have any more land. New development is increasingly occurring around these stations and ridership is guaranteed to grow. It's called strategic planning. I'm not exactly sure that people understand the development potential of these areas. They are literally the only places that can accommodate substantial growth:

- Downtown Oceanside (many new buildings planned)
- Downtown Vista (many new apartments being built)
- Palomar College (two new complexes, one planned across the street + 32,000 students)
- CSUSM (expected to double in size, plus the university district next to the situation is being built from scratch)
- Downtown Escondido (the area next to the station definitely has room for growth)
- San Marcos Civic Center/central SM (growth in Richmar neighborhood will provide more riders)
- N. Melrose (surrounded by open land, one complex currently being built)
- Rancho Del Oro (growing employment area)
- Crouch Street (tons of underutilized/vacant land)

Take a look at the route and you will be surprised to see the development potential in areas next to Sprinter Stations. The Sprinter also does a great job connecting town centers, activity centers, and denser residential areas.

Ridership is now averaging about 10,000/day (vs. 11K predicted) and every time I see the Sprinter it has people in it. The service is definitely getting used, even though most people still rely on cars. Just wait until more infill development occurs around the stations. It's actually a really strategic rail line.

[jaslmdm]

I'll cop to being a newbie (~1 year in town), a millennial, and from a far more urbanized (but smaller than San Diego) city, so take my YIMBYist comments with a grain of salt:

We chose Uptown to put down roots in part because we were looking for an urbanized, human-scaled (vs. car-scaled) street grid -- and while I'd say it's really good in that regard compared to almost all other parts of the city, it's still pretty bad. Where are the thru bike lanes? Why do so many busy intersections lack painted crosswalks? And what is this strange button I have to push to ask for permission to cross the street?? I'm used to getting automatic walk signals when the light turns green!

Yes, I was a very spoiled pedestrian. Of course, San Diego spoils us in so many other ways. There's a lot I'll put up with to live in a place where I can be outdoors comfortably ~350 days out of the year.

[sdhkshdcny09]

Originally Posted by jaslmdm

Where are the thru bike lanes? Why do so many busy intersections lack painted crosswalks? And what is this strange button I have to push to ask for permission to cross the street?? I'm used to getting automatic walk signals when the light turns green!

San Diego is planned to prioritize people sitting in mechanical boxes instead of outside enjoying the beautiful weather. An interesting contradiction considering most people move here for the climate

Yes, I was a very spoiled pedestrian.

It's funny that you see this as being spoiled when it should really be standard across the country. There is no need to apologize for being a transplant. Most of the people in San Diego are not actually from here.

I'll never understand how we live in a society that values higher speed limits, shorter crosswalk times, etc. over pedestrian safety just so autos can save 10 seconds.