San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilwoman Dr. Jennifer Campbell announced a new pilot program today that will partially close certain streets around the city to provide more space for people to be able to walk, run and bike away from large crowds.
Slow Streets is a new pilot program that will go into effect on Thursday, April 30. Select city roads will be partially closed and reserved for pedestrians and cyclists in an effort to increase outdoor space for residents to get exercise and move around outdoors while continuing to practice social distancing. The city also announced it will reopen some commuter bike paths and install larger crosswalk buttons that can be pressed without the use of your hand. Dr. Campbell stated that the pilot program could inspire a vision for the San Diego of tomorrow, with more walkability and green space. The immediate goal of Slow Streets is to reduce foot traffic at beaches, parks, and hiking trails when they are fully reopened.
"COVID-19 has forced us to rethink everything we do and how we go about our daily lives, and what we need right now are more safe spaces for San Diegans to stretch their legs with a walk or a bike ride," explained Mayor Faulconer "This pilot program is about creating more space outside your place by closing a few streets to give people room to be active and maintain their physical distance from others trying to do the same."
The initial "Slow Streets" will include Adams Avenue over Interstate 805 in North Park and Normal Heights, Diamond Street from Mission Boulevard to Olney Street in Pacific Beach, and Howard Avenue from Park Boulevard to 33rd Street in Hillcrest and North Park. A fourth slow street will be located somewhere in San Diego’s Council District 4. Mayor Faulconer indicated additional slow streets were being evaluated. Barriers and signage will mark the streets. The bikeways reopening include Route 52 Bikeway, Rose Creek Bikeway, Route 56 Bikeway, Rose Canyon Bikeway, the path along Interstate 15 from Murphy Canyon to the Lake Hodges Bridge and the San Diego River Bikeway from Ocean Beach to Mission Valley.
