Encouraging people to seek alternative methods of transportation is a good idea for a number of reasons. It has been proven to decrease pollution, increase health and lower transit costs. Unfortunately, biking or walking to work in San Diego is not without the risk of a pedestrian accident. As the city considers the Climate Action Plan, activist groups are asking leadership to take into account the safety of people on foot.
Currently, about 1 percent of commuters pedal into work in San Diego. As part of the Climate Action Plan, which has not yet been fully enacted but has a basic framework, there should be roughly 6 percent of people riding their bikes to work by the year 2020. Already, the city has taken some steps to encourage cycling, such as adding a bike lane along some roads and installing bike rental stations.
However, advocates worry about the increase in alternative transportation and the lack of safe infrastructure to support it. A spokesperson for Circulate San Diego said that every day in the region, cars are responsible for hitting three people either on foot or on a bicycle. Activists are asking city leadership to factor wider bike lanes into the plan to resurface 1,000 miles of roads over the next five years.
Safety advocates recommend prioritizing the roads that are known to endanger pedestrians. Accident prevention is a task that should concern everyone, from motorists to city leadership to those on foot. When an incident does occur, it is important that victims seek the proper medical care as well as legal representation.
Source: Fox 5 SanDiego, “Group calls on city to budget for alternative transit,” April 7, 2015
