Seven 'Walkable Communities' demonstration projects are underway in the San Diego region. The projects are funded with a $1 million allocation from the TransNet local streets and roads funds.

In Encinitas, construction is completed on the improvements along Coast Highway between A and F Streets. The improvements included curb extensions, crosswalk improvements, and landscaped medians. In San Marcos, in-pavement flashing lights are now operating at a crosswalk leading to Knob Hill Elementary School.

In San Diego, construction will begin soon to improve the pedestrian walkway on a highway overpass leading from Golden Hill to Sherman Heights. The project will include a fence to separate pedestrians from the traffic with a unique "song rail" that plays a tune when touched as the pedestrian strolls along. The song rail was added with an additional grant from the City of San Diego Arts and Culture program.

In Oceanside, officials used the planning grant to develop a comprehensive plan for short-, mid-, and long-term pedestrian improvements in the downtown business district and connections to the Oceanside Transit Center. In San Diego, two planning studies have been completed, and both make recommendations for improving transit service and connections, traffic calming, and safety improvements on Balboa Avenue in Clairemont and University Avenue in North Park.

In an effort to further assist local governments in the creation and redevelopment of pedestrian-friendly areas and corridors throughout the region, SANDAG created Planning and Designing for Pedestrians (pdf, 3.3m). The guidelines integrate a wide range of planning and design criteria in the context of land use and transportation and seek to create a safe and efficient pedestrian environment.

Lemon Grove Mayor Mary Sessom, who chairs the Walkable Communities Advisory Committee, has recommended that walkability be part of the criteria for funding transportation projects and requested that TransNet and other sources be considered for additional funding of pedestrian projects throughout the region.

Project manager: Rob Rundle
(619) 595-5649 or rru@sandag.org