Fletcher Unveils Plan to Double Bicycle Commuters

San Diego mayoral candidate Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, R-San Diego, unveiled a plan Wednesday intended to double the number of people who commute to work on bicycles and to make city streets safer for cyclists.

Fletcher wants the number of bicycle commuters to grow from about 65,000 now to 121,000 by 2020. That would eliminate about 11 million car trips per year and the associated exhaust, he said.

The city's Bicycle Master Plan envisions a similar goal, but not until 2030, he said.

According to Fletcher, San Diegans die in collisions involving bikes at more than twice the national average, and he believes his plan will help reduce San Diego's bicycle fatality rate below the national average.

"As an avid cyclist, I want to see San Diego embrace the full potential it has to be one of the world's great bike-friendly cities," Fletcher said.

"That vision includes making biking safer, providing more recreational cycling opportunities and completing our cycling infrastructure so people can move around their neighborhoods as easily on a bike as they can in a car."

The provisions of his plan include:

-- acquiring land to establish dedicated bicycle and pedestrian paths alongside all new light rail and bus lines;

-- ensuring that all cycling infrastructure adheres to the recommendations of the National Association of City Transportation Officials Urban Bikeway Design Guide;

-- making sure that community plan updates include new bikeways to connect residents with shopping and recreational areas and with mass transit lines;

-- working with San Diego police to educate the public about bicycle laws, enforce cycling laws and reduce the number of cycling fatalities;

-- implementing a bike-sharing program at no cost to taxpayers; and

-- establishing a mayor's Cycling Task Force comprised of senior members of the administration and members of the cycling community to oversee efforts to identify and apply for federal and state funding opportunities.

-City News Service