SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The City of San Diego approved its Mobility Master Plan this week, outlining plans to improve mobility options for everybody and create a more sustainable, equitable city.
The plan says three areas of focus: safety, sustainability, and equity, are the major themes, and that prioritizing walking, biking, and public transit over car travel will address each of these themes.
The plan also details specific projects that are either planned or in the works for several “focus areas” that could best use the infrastructure necessary to facilitate walking, biking, and taking public transit.
A diverse range of communities is highlighted, and significant improvements are scheduled for the coming years.
However, the city’s report on spending over the previous five years reveals that there is still an imbalance between the city’s proposed goals and how the money is allocated.
Since 2019, San Diego has spent roughly three times as much on repaving streets as it has on improving sidewalks, bike facilities and traffic calming projects.
Boosted significantly by $116 million in 2024 alone, repaving streets has cost the city more than $326 million in the past five years. Over those five years, a total of $116 million was spent on improving road safety.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s “sexy streets” initiative made it clear that fixing the potholes citywide was a major priority, and spending reflects that prioritization.
But he also told ABC 10News that “safety is the City’s primary concern regarding mobility,” when asked about falling short of the Vision Zero goal of zero traffic deaths by 2025.
Now that San Diego is facing a significant budget deficit, several areas of focus, including homeless shelters, libraries, rec centers and the Humane Society, are facing cuts.
The preliminary budget includes more than $83 million for road resurfacing and $10.5 million for traffic calming, sidewalk repairs, new walkways, road medians, and bicycle facilities.
