Dear Union Trib,
I ride the bus. I just got a brochure inviting me to take public transit to Padres games. Well, that's great, except that the last bus to my house leaves downtown at 6:42, doesn't go downtown on Saturday, and doesn't run at all on Sunday. It's no problem, if i want to walk home 4 miles from the nearest Trolley stop.
How much money is the economy of San Diego losing, because people can not get out to stores and ballgames. Drivers have a sense of entitlement that roads will be there, and no one questions that, yet public transit is viewed as some form of charity.
It's not; public transit is essential to the economy, yet this city funds it at starvation levels and the state plays mickey mouse games, while the air gets polluted and the roads clog up with traffic.
Hundreds of millions of dollars of public subsidies for sports stadiums are sold to the public, on the basis that they stimulate the economy, yet MTS was just forced to gut Sunday service, because they didn't have $7 million. The Padres would have 5,000 more people in the stands at every game, if people could get home. I'd go. That's economic stimulus.
I have a challenge for you; assign a reporter to try and live his life for a week using only public transit, see what it's like.
yours truly
jay d. bear
written March 2010
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DDear Mayor and City Council,
The roads are not safe.
One million San Diegans could accomplish the majority of their transit needs by riding a bicycle, if the roads were safe. They could buy a bicycle for $25 at a garage sale or thrift store, oil up the chain, put some air in the tires, and be good to go,
if the roads were safe.
Kids could bike to school (and get some exercise), people could run small errands, bike to work, etc.
if the roads were safe
The roads are not safe
I am specifically talking about surface roads, not freeways.
MTS has been forced to cut service, especially on evenings and Sundays. That means that there are a lot of jobs that people without a car can not apply for, because they can't get there, and that includes low income people who have trouble affording a car. I am speaking as someone who has worked a graveyard shift in a supermarket, who has been a janitor, a dishwasher, a security guard, all those low paying service jobs that need to be done.
San Diego would be God's gift to the bicycle, if the roads were safe. Great weather, long flat stretches, perfect for non polluting two wheelers, if the roads were safe.
The roads are not safe.
Also, just to mention all the drunk drivers on the roads when the bars close, and no public transit to keep them off the roads. Those bars and restaurants need a lot of service staff, people who could, perhaps, ride bicycles home if it was safe and not too far.
------
I live on a "quiet" street in Pt. Loma. My housemate's cat got killed by a speeding car. I was at a garage sale a few blocks away, told story to the guy, he said his dog was killed by a speeding car. This on "quiet", "side" streets. I have heard so many stories of bicyclists being hit by cars, and not just from people i've talked to. I've sat at coffeeshops and overheard people talking about being hit by cars.
Too many San Diegans are being terrorized by dangerous, speeding drivers who feel like they own the road.
I live about 4 miles from Old town transit center. If i thought i would survive the ride down Rosecrans, i could bicycle there and catch a trolley. However, i have no wish to die or be maimed for life. To tell you the truth, just crossing the street as a pedestrian can be quite an adventure, and i am a healthy, active man, not an old woman moving slow, like my 88yr old mother.
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I have not written you all just to bitch. Here are some specific proposals
1 A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR SPEEDING ON SURFACE STREETS
There are laws, speeding limits posted. Scofflaws ignore them. My understanding is that the role of the police department is to keep the public safe. What is more dangerous than unsafe driving?
2 Paint the bike lanes a solid color, i.e., not just a thin line, but a whole 3 foot wide paint job.
It's a band aid, but it would help. Of course the real solution is completely separate bicycle routes, but as a step in the right direction, a paint job would be much more visible and save lives.
3 Have the planning department study the feasibility of planning bicycle use as %25 of transit use. It's cheap, it's healthy, it's fun. San Diego has enough traffic congestion and air pollution, it's not like it needs more. The bicycle is the perfect solution for a lot of people, if it can be made safe.
------------
It's true that a lot of people haven't thought of bicycling as much as i am suggesting, but when it talk to my car driving friends (i don't drive), when they think about it a little, the answer they usually give is that it sounds good and they would do more riding, if the safe bicycle routes were there.
Thank you for your time and attention to these matters.
Yours Truly,
Jay D. Bear
---------------------------- The roads are not safe.
One million San Diegans could accomplish the majority of their transit needs by riding a bicycle, if the roads were safe. They could buy a bicycle for $25 at a garage sale or thrift store, oil up the chain, put some air in the tires, and be good to go,
if the roads were safe.
Kids could bike to school (and get some exercise), people could run small errands, bike to work, etc.
if the roads were safe
The roads are not safe
I am specifically talking about surface roads, not freeways.
MTS has been forced to cut service, especially on evenings and Sundays. That means that there are a lot of jobs that people without a car can not apply for, because they can't get there, and that includes low income people who have trouble affording a car. I am speaking as someone who has worked a graveyard shift in a supermarket, who has been a janitor, a dishwasher, a security guard, all those low paying service jobs that need to be done.
San Diego would be God's gift to the bicycle, if the roads were safe. Great weather, long flat stretches, perfect for non polluting two wheelers, if the roads were safe.
The roads are not safe.
Also, just to mention all the drunk drivers on the roads when the bars close, and no public transit to keep them off the roads. Those bars and restaurants need a lot of service staff, people who could, perhaps, ride bicycles home if it was safe and not too far.
------
I live on a "quiet" street in Pt. Loma. My housemate's cat got killed by a speeding car. I was at a garage sale a few blocks away, told story to the guy, he said his dog was killed by a speeding car. This on "quiet", "side" streets. I have heard so many stories of bicyclists being hit by cars, and not just from people i've talked to. I've sat at coffeeshops and overheard people talking about being hit by cars.
Too many San Diegans are being terrorized by dangerous, speeding drivers who feel like they own the road.
I live about 4 miles from Old town transit center. If i thought i would survive the ride down Rosecrans, i could bicycle there and catch a trolley. However, i have no wish to die or be maimed for life. To tell you the truth, just crossing the street as a pedestrian can be quite an adventure, and i am a healthy, active man, not an old woman moving slow, like my 88yr old mother.
----------
I have not written you all just to bitch. Here are some specific proposals
1 A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR SPEEDING ON SURFACE STREETS
There are laws, speeding limits posted. Scofflaws ignore them. My understanding is that the role of the police department is to keep the public safe. What is more dangerous than unsafe driving?
I am requesting that you, San Diego elected officials, especially you, Mr. Mayor, direct the San Diego Police Department to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards speeding and unsafe driving in general.
Immediately start a citywide campaign to issue tickets to anyone speeding on a surface street. People will slow down, the roads will get safer.
The traffic laws are in place for a reason. Shouldn't drivers be required to obey them?
This will have the additional benefit of putting some money in the city's coffers.Immediately start a citywide campaign to issue tickets to anyone speeding on a surface street. People will slow down, the roads will get safer.
The traffic laws are in place for a reason. Shouldn't drivers be required to obey them?
2 Paint the bike lanes a solid color, i.e., not just a thin line, but a whole 3 foot wide paint job.
It's a band aid, but it would help. Of course the real solution is completely separate bicycle routes, but as a step in the right direction, a paint job would be much more visible and save lives.
3 Have the planning department study the feasibility of planning bicycle use as %25 of transit use. It's cheap, it's healthy, it's fun. San Diego has enough traffic congestion and air pollution, it's not like it needs more. The bicycle is the perfect solution for a lot of people, if it can be made safe.
------------
It's true that a lot of people haven't thought of bicycling as much as i am suggesting, but when it talk to my car driving friends (i don't drive), when they think about it a little, the answer they usually give is that it sounds good and they would do more riding, if the safe bicycle routes were there.
Thank you for your time and attention to these matters.
Yours Truly,
Jay D. Bear
be well,
jay
----------
Dear MoveSD
I am putting my ideas in the form of an email. Please share them with the rest of the move staff
-------------
Strategy for Public Transportation
I live in two worlds here in San Diego. By birth and education, i am middle class, and my friends are middle class. On the other hand, as a musician i am poor and ride the bus, no car. Here's my take on what i see:
---The people i see on the bus (commuters excepted) seem %90 poor and low education. I doubt many are registered to vote. A lot of them don't speak English that well. As far as i can tell, there is almost no political power to be found in this group.
----My middle class friends, who are educated and politically empowered, are barely aware that public transportation exists, have no idea what it's like to ride, feel no connection with it whatsoever, no personal investment or motivation to make it better.
So where is the political will to provide a functional MTS going to come from, other than a few visionaries?
My answer, the business community.
The reason i am writing this is to say that, in my opinion,
MoveSD and other transportation groups would do well to do extensive, ongoing education and outreach to the Chamber of Commerce and the business community, making the following points;
* ACCESS How much money is business losing, because poorer people can not get to shops, restaurants, ballgames. Yes, low income people don't have as much money as the middle class, but there are a lot of them, and they do spend money. How many more seats would be filled in movie theatres, followed by a meal afterwards?
* EXTRA CASH TO SPEND If poorer people could save money by leaving their cars parked, they would have more money to spend at local business, and it would get spent.
* GAS PRICES As gas prices go up, even middle class people are going out less. If it's going to cost someone $20 in gas, just to go out for the day, they are less likely to go, and will have less money to spend. If they could safely, comfortably, conveniently get everywhere they wanted to go for a $5 day pass, local business would benefit.
* ACCESS TO JOBS-benefits both workers and employers
* EASIER, MORE COMFORTABLE COMMUTING this is more of a pitch to the middle class
-----------
* SPECIFIC PROPOSAL
* ONE CENT INCREASE IN SALES TAX, designated, legally reserved, for public trans. If the business community supported it, if middle class people got the idea that the benefits to SD's economy would benefit them, it would pass.
------
The other idea i got from last night is the huge need to form a coalition, a United Front, of every non-car transportation group in the city. Pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, etc. Maybe a name like SANCOATS, san diego coalition of alternative transit supporters, or whatever.
--
be well,
jay
-------------
Strategy for Public Transportation
I live in two worlds here in San Diego. By birth and education, i am middle class, and my friends are middle class. On the other hand, as a musician i am poor and ride the bus, no car. Here's my take on what i see:
---The people i see on the bus (commuters excepted) seem %90 poor and low education. I doubt many are registered to vote. A lot of them don't speak English that well. As far as i can tell, there is almost no political power to be found in this group.
----My middle class friends, who are educated and politically empowered, are barely aware that public transportation exists, have no idea what it's like to ride, feel no connection with it whatsoever, no personal investment or motivation to make it better.
So where is the political will to provide a functional MTS going to come from, other than a few visionaries?
My answer, the business community.
The reason i am writing this is to say that, in my opinion,
MoveSD and other transportation groups would do well to do extensive, ongoing education and outreach to the Chamber of Commerce and the business community, making the following points;
* ACCESS How much money is business losing, because poorer people can not get to shops, restaurants, ballgames. Yes, low income people don't have as much money as the middle class, but there are a lot of them, and they do spend money. How many more seats would be filled in movie theatres, followed by a meal afterwards?
* EXTRA CASH TO SPEND If poorer people could save money by leaving their cars parked, they would have more money to spend at local business, and it would get spent.
* GAS PRICES As gas prices go up, even middle class people are going out less. If it's going to cost someone $20 in gas, just to go out for the day, they are less likely to go, and will have less money to spend. If they could safely, comfortably, conveniently get everywhere they wanted to go for a $5 day pass, local business would benefit.
* ACCESS TO JOBS-benefits both workers and employers
* EASIER, MORE COMFORTABLE COMMUTING this is more of a pitch to the middle class
-----------
* SPECIFIC PROPOSAL
* ONE CENT INCREASE IN SALES TAX, designated, legally reserved, for public trans. If the business community supported it, if middle class people got the idea that the benefits to SD's economy would benefit them, it would pass.
------
The other idea i got from last night is the huge need to form a coalition, a United Front, of every non-car transportation group in the city. Pedestrians, bicyclists, skateboarders, etc. Maybe a name like SANCOATS, san diego coalition of alternative transit supporters, or whatever.
--
be well,
jay
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