Completed Projects/Issues - Roads & Infrastructure

3 Transit Projects for North City Move Forward!

Click to enlarge

Councilman Peters has been working for the last three years to improve the quality of life of North City residents by working to bringing public transportation to the area. At the May 22nd MTDB board meeting, the board voted to support the creation of three projects that will bring increased mobility to the Golden Triangle and I-805 areas.

The first project is the Super Loop, an internal circulation element that will use "flex-trolleys" to connect key points in University City, including the future Nobel Coaster Station, UTC, businesses and residential areas, and UCSD. Future phases have the loop expanding to connect the UTC/UCSD areas with businesses on Sorrento Mesa. Traffic studies have shown that 50% of the congestion in the greater Golden Triangle area is created by internal trips, and this project will allow for better circulation while taking a significant number of cars off the road.

The second project will extend regional bus service into and from the Golden Triangle area. The plan would allow commuters to catch an express transit vehicle near their home in areas like Carmel Valley, La Jolla, and Rancho Penasquitos, that would connect them into the Super Loop system to bring them to work, school or shopping areas.

The third project is the development and implementation of an express bus rapid transit system from the South Bay, up the I-805 corridor to University City and Sorrento Mesa. The plan will allow transit vehicles to use the shoulders on I-805 for an express service connecting residential areas in the South Bay with business centers in the Golden Triangle.

MTDB's support for these projects is an acknowledgment of the fact that the North City is now the regional job center for San Diego County. More people commute to, and work in this area than downtown San Diego. If you were to begin planning a transit system today you would start here, but transit planning rarely keeps up with rapidly changing demographics and land uses. That is why MTDB's action to support transit in the area is a historic first and a true acknowledgement of the tremendous need for service in this area.

Making a significant impact on transit planning is not easy, and would not have been possible without a truly unique coalition of groups and individuals that rallied to the cause. Groups like the San Diego Taxpayers Association, Sierra Club, UCSD students, University City Planning Group, the BioScience and High Tech industries, and residents in the area all came together to push for an effective transit solution. This unique coalition of businesses, residents, taxpayer advocates, and environmental groups proved that a united coalition can bring about significant change.

Our job now is to continue to be vigilant and make sure that the promises made on May 22nd are kept and implemented effectively. I am proud of the coalition that came together to move forward these critical projects, and look forward to keeping that coalition alive as we continue to pursue effective transit solutions to improve our quality of life.