2023 Year-End Briefing

As we close out the year we want to celebrate some incredible wins and let you know how we are setting the agenda for land use and transportation policy in the region in 2024.

Individual and Corporate Members fuel Circulate San Diego’s work to advocate for safe streets, improved transit, and better land use policy. With your support we are making San Diego a better place to live, work, and move around.

If you've already renewed your support for 2024, we sincerely thank you. If not, now is the ideal time to recommit to our shared goals of fast transit, safe streets, and more housing. Corporate Membership renewals receive a 10% Discount through December 31^st. Check our our Corporate Membership and Individual Membership pages for more details.

Together in 2023 we made San Diego a better place to live, work, and move around. Here’s a few highlights:

• • Enhanced Street Safety for All Ages.This year, our planning team engaged hundreds of young people and older adults in discussions on safe biking and walking. We collaborated with organizations like Father Joe’s Village and the San Diego Unified School District for transit, biking, and walking field trips.

Advocated for Community Plans that Grow the Economy. At the start of 2023, we released our report: Making the Most of the Mid-Coast Trolley. At a cost of $2.2 billion, the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension is the largest single transit investment in San Diego’s history. The report offers practical solutions for how the region can get the most “bang for its buck” from its investment in the Mid-Coast Trolley Extension. These solutions would allow more homes and jobs near the trolley, and improve connectivity via bus, bicycle, and walking – to the benefit of the entire region.

• • • Expanded Safer Streets Initiatives in North County.We launched two North County Projects this year; the Safer Streets Together Campaign with the City of Carlsbad and Coastal Rail Trail Project with City of Oceanside. Both projects highlight the investments these two Cities are making in pedestrian and cyclist safety.
    • Working across Southern California.We have expanded our planning efforts over the past few years to encompass the entire Southern California Region. Through Circulate Planning, we have collaborated with the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to enhance the built environment for residents.
    • Made it Easier to Pay for Transit Trips. We need to make paying for transit convenient and fast. This year we wrote a detailed letter outlining recommendations for how the PRONTO payment system can be improved. Pronto should be upgraded to include easy fare payment options that will benefit current transit riders and improve access to potential riders.

• • Conducted Citywide Walk Audits. The planning team conducted walk audits across San Diego. Like this walk audit surrounding the Nobel Drive Transit Station that KPBS covered in: “Walk Audit finds problems for pedestrians and bicyclists near the Nobel Drive trolley station.”
  • Legislative Triumph - Moderate-Income Density Bonus Law. In October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Circulate sponsored bill AB1287 into law. Authored by Assemblymember David Alvarez, this legislation encourages the construction of new homes for middle-income families, a significant accomplishment with far-reaching benefits.

We have some big projects coming up in 2023.

You can support this work by renewing and increasing your membership, joining as a report or campaign sponsor, and sponsoring our annual Momentum Awards. Here are a few of our top priorities:

• • Towards A Better Coastal Zone. Over-regulation in the California Coastal Zone often prevents or delays housing on the coast. This frustrates the goals of recent California housing and transportation reforms, as well as the original inclusive goals of the Coastal Act. In early 2024, Circulate San Diego publish a report to spotlight practices in coastal jurisdictions that hinder recent statewide reform objectives. The report will highlight specific instances where the objectives of recent legislation have been frustrated, increasing exclusivity in the Coastal Zone rather than enhancing access in keeping with the mission of the Coastal Act.
  • Vision Zero in 2024. In the City of San Diego, too many pedestrians, scooter riders, and bicyclists are dying on our streets. While the City has committed to “Vision Zero,” a pledge to end all traffic fatalities and serious injuries, progress has faced backlash and has slowed. In 2024, we will publish a report to reignite the urgency and provide concrete solutions to prevent traffic fatalities. Recent data shows a resurgence in traffic collisions both locally and nationally, resulting in nearly 300 fatalities in 2021.
  • Transit to the Airport.Circulate San Diego has championed a rail connection between Downtown and the Airport for years. In 2023, we successfully got the Airport and SANDAG to incorporate our recommendations, and to move this project forward. A rail connection between the Downtown and the Airport would improve the ability of both passengers and workers to use transit to access the Airport. It is increasingly common for American cities to enjoy a rail connection to their main Airport, and San Diego should not be left behind. In 2024 we will see this fully realized.
  • Promoting Equitable Communities.Leveraging the insights from our "Making the Most of The Mid-Coast Trolley" report, we will champion regional policies that foster expansive land use and transportation practices. Whether influencing Community Plan revisions, working to pass much needed state legislation, or shaping regional transit choices, Circulate will draw upon its proven track record of translating research and innovative ideas into impactful policy changes to bolster housing affordability and enhance public transit through effective advocacy.
  • Strengthening Street Safety Engagement. In 2024, our planning team is expanding our efforts to engage more folks in street safety. With long standing partners, like the Office of Traffic Safety and the County of San Diego, along with new partners like the City of Chula Vista and SDSU we will offer e-bike rodeos, demonstration projects, safe routes to school plans, and much more.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Their support allows Circulate San Diego to go “above and beyond” to advance our mission to create excellent mobility choices and vibrant, healthy neighborhoods.