San Diego Bicycle Master Plan Vote Delayed

San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan, an initiative to expand the city’s network of bike lanes to make cycling safer, faster and more efficient, was passed in 2013, but has recently come across a snag in its implementation. The San Diego City Council was scheduled to vote to speed up the plan’s implementation, but that vote has since been delayed. According to bicycle advocates, the plan may not be strong enough to accomplish the City Council’s goals.

The Bicycle Master Plan

The Bicycle Master Plan is a part of the city’s Climate Action Plan, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in San Diego, the majority of which are produced from cars and trucks. To accomplish this reduction in emissions, the city must heavily focus on changing commuting habits. It is hoped, under the plan, that by 2020, 6 percent of San Diegans living near major public transit stops will be biking to work. That number is roughly triple the current number.

But how will the city measure whether the plan is working? Several different methods have been tried in the past, with limited success. For example, in 2014, the city purchased several cameras to measure the number of cyclists passing through certain intersections. However, those cameras were not installed until last year, and have not provided reliable data.

Transportation officials are still hammering away at changes to the plan, and the vote has yet to be rescheduled.

For more information on the Bicycle Master Plan and to keep up with cycling community news in San Diego, you can continue following our blog.