Unfortunately, we must recommend that SANDAG Board members vote against adoption of the 2015 Draft Regional Plan in its current form because it does not adequately advance transit and active transportation projects.

Despite these differences, Circulate San Diego believes that the SANDAG Board can and should move forward with a region-wide Quality of Life revenue measure in 2016 that includes provisions and funding to advance transit and active transportation projects. [PDF]

On July 15, 2015, Circulate San Diego published "TransNet Today: Keeping faith with the voters while achieving the region's transportation goals."

This report makes the following findings:

(1)    SANDAG’s Draft 2015 Regional Plan is inadequately designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote health, equity, and economic development.

(2)    SANDAG must shift priorities toward transit and active transportation to maintain the region’s ability to compete for federal and state transportation funds.

(3)    SANDAG has the flexibility to advance a number of transit and active transportation projects in the Regional Plan without needing to amend TransNet.

As SANDAG makes its plans to invest in the future of San Diego’s transportation system, it faces the same challenges that other regions throughout the state and the country are grappling with including maintaining rapidly aging infrastructure, serving the changing needs and preferences of residents, and addressing sustainability, health, the economy, and equity.

Read the report here.

Summary of Letter:

Circulate San Diego is asking the SANDAG Board to make modest, valuable, and achievable changes to the 2015 Draft Regional Plan to improve transportation and land uses in the region. Our request is organized around five main ideas.

1. Circulate San Diego cannot support a Regional Plan that would prevent the region from reaching the GHG reduction goals in Governor’s Executive Order S-3-05.

2. Circulate San Diego is not asking TransNet to be amended.

3. For San Diego to remain competitive with State and Federal funding, it must accelerate early transit and active transportation projects.

4. SANDAG has a variety of mechanisms available to pay for the advancement of transit and active transportation.

5. Circulate San Diego would support a Regional Plan that advances key projects that benefit the region.

Read the comment letter here [PDF].

Summary of Letter:

SANDAG has the authority to advance transit and active transportation projects on a more accelerated schedule than what is called for by the 2015 Draft Regional Plan (“the Plan”), and in a manner that is consistent with the TransNet Extension Ordinance approved by voters in 2004.

However, none of the more transit-friendly alternatives analyzed by SANDAG are financially feasible to implement.

The failure of the DEIR to consider even one financially feasible alternative does not satisfy the two core functions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to ensure informed decision making by the SANDAG Board, and to foster public participation. SANDAG’s DEIR is therefore insufficient and invalid under California law.

Click here to read the comment letter [PDF].

Letter to SANDAG regarding its January 2015 TOD forum, encouraging discussion about a robust and meaningful TOD Policy. [PDF]