Boom or Bust: Mobility Concept in San Diego
I read in the newspaper that regional cities, surrounding the City of San Diego but within the county, are hesitant to align with a new 160 Billion dollar mobility infrastructure plan because the success of the plan relies on the ability to build dense housing around the proposed stations. Their argument stems from opposition to increased density because their cities should be allowed to retain their uniqueness. Although I oppose highway adjacent rail corridors, especially in a auto centric culture that could care less if a train buzzes by them while stuck in congested traffic, I say allow those cities to have their uniqueness. I suggest the city revisit and review their strategy. Their current path reaches too far and the nature of the surrounding opposition is steering them in the direction. Cities should instead reduce the reach and focus on providing efficient and extensive light rail transit within the city boundaries first.
The City of San Diego needs to get out of the business of trying to make everyone happy and get in the business of making the city work. If the coastal cities don’t want density, don’t design a plan that is reliant on that aspect for the system to function, especially if those same cities can obstruct the ability for the transit agencies from funding ANY work other than new highways which has been proven all over the country to be dysfunctional.
The main argument posed years ago by the low density, highway types is: we don’t want to become Los Angeles! Unfortunately, you are already becoming Los Angeles, the Los Angeles of 20 to 30 years ago before they placed great value on a huge expansion of their rail transit system. I watched that transit expansion occur, and as a resident of Los Angeles at the time due to my college studies, I voted for Measure R which created the expansion. Their strategy was to adjust what already existed, and expand within the city. Some of that expansion went into adjacent cities, but most were already experiencing their own inner growth. Santa Monica and Culver City are prime examples and they were on board with integrating public transit and a responsible increase in density.
San Diego must take a page from this playbook. Stop messing with the coastal cities and inland communities that do not want density. Focus on what can be controlled, the City of San Diego. Get out of the notion that regional government is the solution, it is part of the problem. Those resistant cities will adjust to changing times and density, but not now. In time they will naturally adjust after the city shows what an effective transit system can do.
Get light rail to Mission Beach and Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. All three of those areas can incorporate intelligent density. Encinitas, Solona Beach, and Coronado should be left alone. They are at the fringe (not meant as an insult) of the city and can integrate into a commuter based system after a base light rail system that actually takes you somewhere efficiently is established.
Setting up a commuter rail system before light rail is crazy. Setting up a commuter rail based system under the premise of it being technologically advanced is absurd. That system will be obsolete before the first track is set onto the ground. How can you introduce new technology when you have not even begun to master what already exists?
With the exception of mid to long range commuter rail, rail stations with integrated parking lots is a signal of failure. It is a marker of poor design, weak vision, and failed leadership. A parking lot at a rail station is a landmark that symbolizes a lack of commitment.
The overall plan of the 160 billion dollar strategy needs to maintain its financial scope and vision but must be scaled back diagrammatically. The commuter rail aspect must be adjusted to include only communities within the City of San Diego. For example, a commuter rail component should be implemented to bring city communities surrounding Rancho Bernardo onto a commuter type express network that uses SD Trolley rail stock. That line will include stops in Mira Mesa and Miramar, terminating in Mission Valley. Light Rail should be expanded into the heart of Sorrento Valley and Miramar from the west end. There is a dense cluster of technology workers in Eastern Mira Mesa that work in Sorrento Valley. We should move forward with the idea that on long haul routes, stations can be added later to accommodate demand.
All other designs should focus on the city’s core with the first order of business being to make small adjustments to the rail lines. One of my first blog posts is one of those adjustments where the orange line trolley passes through a cemetery a few hundred yards south of a major employment center.
The next order of business is to get rail to Hillcrest, Bankers Hill, North Park and City Heights. These are communities already experiencing dense growth. If you have to put this portion underground, put it underground! San Diego needs to have a tunnel. Maybe the only tunnels that can exist in San Diego are the ones that ferry drugs under our border. Build a real tunnel San Diego! Build a real tunnel that starts in the heart of downtown and terminates in City Heights. The line does not need to be completely underground. There are above ground opportunities and cut and cover areas, but build a tunnel.
We can go on and on about how to do this. Unfortunately, the issue might be that our transit planners were raised in an auto-centric culture or have spent too much time in one. I could be very wrong about that, but it seems that way.
How can we pay for this, especially when we do not have the approval of the regional cities? First, get out of the regional government. But how? Approach the federal government transportation funding entity and be honest about the problem. We need real mobility in San Diego and the strategy is a progressively expanding service zone. We need to build a tunnel in order to make the core system work (make sure to mention the drug tunnel analogy here). The City of San Diego needs to create two or three full line expansions and make line adjustments to three or four portions along existing corridors. Let them know that their is serious obstructions from cities outside that do not want density but exert too much control that obstructs the mobility of millions of people. Go direct to the source. Also mention that once this foundational system has been created, the regional government will be re-enacted so that those adjacent cities can be included into the system.
We need to allow the Federal Government to view the situation from various lenses. One, this is a climate matter. A smaller population represented by car commuters is obstructing opportunities to construct a healthy and equitable city that understands mobility from the perspective of public transport, not distorted through the perspective of the automobile, ride sharing, and driverless technology.
Two, this is an economic issue. Focusing the plan and expanding within the city first will create the same amount of jobs and positive economic impact. Workers that live in the adjacent cities will still work on these large scale projects.
Three, this is a social equity issue. Many people that do not own cars are negatively impacted by the lack of mobility. The people with access to stable transportation are hindering hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people that will benefit from efficient rail transit.
Four, this is a national security issue. This is a bit of a stretch, but I believe it to be realistic. San Diego is a huge military port city. How does a city with such strategic significance possess such a weak rail network? Being that San Diego is bordered by another country, an ocean and a mountain range, you might expect that our transportation infrastructure would be the best and most efficient. In reality, it is not good at all. The rail network is horrible and could not effectively transport troops and equipment effectively. Damage a few bridges and sever one or two corridors and San Diego is totally isolated and lost. You won’t be able to move things out in retreat or move things in for support. At least make it difficult for the enemy! You can only do so much by roads; you think the roads are congested now, imagine in a situation of real conflict. Imagine trying to move troops and equipment in those conditions. You will need to crush your own people to get them out of the way. And if those people can’t even handle the notion of a fair election, how are they going to handle something more serious? Rail is a strategic construct. We should have rail, at a standard gauge, emanating in all directions from San Diego. We should have multiple lines north and east.
We should have multiple corridors to move troops and equipment from Camp Pendleton to the Naval Port. We should have a way to move Army troops and equipment in from Nevada and Arizona. Right now, this critical city does not have that capability. This is the equivalent of putting your star football player in the game without a helmet.
Additionally, a central station and tunnel in downtown San Diego, in the threat of a real war, can be used to house our most important military leaders so that this crucial location can be defended. A safe tunnel can house our special operation forces so that if we do become overrun, they can commence operations to stunt enemy advancement and allow support to arrive take back the region. A single tunnel, centrally located becomes an element to protect and secure, move, and defend. It also becomes an element that demands enemy focus if they gain the territory. They will be forced to divert attention there, along a long stretch of distance. This diversion is forcing an enemy to allocate critical resources towards conditions underground. This allows us opportunities to counter and hold them at bay so we can establish a significant line of defense at the point or inland. Add in a mix of required and planned maintenance access hatches, tunnels, and corridors, and you have an effective system to covey people, equipment, and most importantly, information and observations.
I know this all sounds crazy but it is the truth and we must see things from all angles. I guess this is the reflection of the mind of the son of a U.S. Navy Chief.
Five, this is a universal issue. Like I mentioned, the only tunnels being built in San Diego are by powerful drug lords along the border, and their reach is constantly expanding. San Diego isn’t building any tunnels, they are not building much except arguments and narrative loops. One marker for a city is how it values its feats of engineering that become its main landmarks. A key marker for San Diego is the Coronado Bay Bridge. My question is: if the city can’t even keep that bridge painted properly, how do we expect them to do anything else right, let alone execute a 160 billion dollar transportation infrastructure plan?