PRESS RELEASE – October 6, 2022
Contact: Jesse O’Sullivan, Policy Counsel
619-301-1381 | [email protected]
Circulate San Diego Releases Report “Fast Bus!”
Provides Simple, Cost-Effective Recommendations for Local Cities to Make Progress by Speeding Up the Bus
On October 6, nonprofit think tank Circulate San Diego hosted a press conference to release its report “Fast Bus!” San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn was the keynote speaker of the event.
Bus riders are essential workers and community members who deserve quick and efficient transportation. However, transit commutes are roughly twice as long as car commutes in San Diego. Moreover, half of all greenhouse gas emissions in San Diego come from road transportation.
The report offers practical solutions to make the bus run faster. The solutions are cost-effective and can be quickly implemented with coordination between MTS, SANDAG and local cities.
“The City of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan requires that 15% of all trips will be made by taking transit,” said Councilmember Whitburn. “In order to get there, our city needs bus service that riders can count on and Circulate’s report provides those critical recommendations.”
“Bus riders overwhelmingly say that speed, frequency and reliability are their top priorities,” said Colin Parent, executive director and general counsel with Circulate San Diego. “We must listen to transit riders and prioritize making the bus run faster as our report outlines.”
The recommendations of the report include dedicated bus-only lanes, transit signal priority, increased frequencies, extended service hours, all-door boarding and more. These improvements will reduce the amount of time that riders spend waiting – at a bus station, for other riders to board or in traffic on the bus.
SANDAG’s 2021 Regional Plan includes funding for capital improvements for over 20 Rapid bus routes by 2035, with some new Rapid bus routes slated to be completed by 2025. This funding should be spent on the kinds of improvements that Circulate recommends.
The report will be featured in a panel discussion on Saturday, October 8, at Voice of San Diego’s Politifest. In addition, Circulate San Diego will host a lunch and learn program on Thursday, October 15 at 12:00 p.m. about the report.
The full report is available at www.circulatesd.org/FastBus.
About Circulate San Diego
Circulate San Diego is a regional nonprofit think tank dedicated to advancing mobility and making the region a better place to move, work, learn and play. Our work focuses on creating great mobility choices, more walkable and bikeable neighborhoods, and land uses that promote sustainable growth. For more information, go to www.circulatesd.org.
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