Written by Alec Graham
Late in March, residents of Mira Mesa woke up to discover a shocking change had occurred to their quiet street of Gold Coast Drive. The previously two-lane street had been narrowed down to a single lane to accommodate two bike lanes on each side.
Councilmember Chris Cate recently went on KUSI News to react to this unusual and controversial road redesign project. When asked about the redesign Cate commented on, “The unusualness of it and the danger of it” on this scheme in road design. Cate goes on to comment on how this redesign has led to cars being required to swerve into the bike lanes just to pass one another. He says there is no need or purpose for this redesign, as a biker he has personal knowledge of cyclist thinking. Specifically, on how cyclists act within bike lanes, cyclists are familiar with utilizing shared bike lanes and navigating the system to keep everyone safe when passing other bikes. When cars get involved in the process of being required to swerve into the bike lane it becomes incredibly dangerous for all parties involved.
By far the most worrying part of this entire situation is for the community as a whole. This redesign was approved overnight with no community input. In the past signs or crosswalks were created with community involvement usually at request to make areas of our community safer. This redesign however was constructed without any community input or notification for the residents. At this time there is no leading member taking credit or responsibility for ordering the creation of such a dangerous situation.
Unfortunately for the citizens of San Diego actions like this are becoming far too common. As road changes such as this are becoming more common with the San Diego Climate Action Goals. The Climate Action Plan is a city plan that is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2035. Part of the plan, according to the city website is by changing “San Diego’s transportation landscape.”. Will we see more streets become like Gold Cost Drive in the near future? The answer seems likely as government agencies push out cars in hopes of driving people to other methods of transportation.
Photo Cred: KUSI
