Introducing the Quickway Proposal - A Vision for a World-Class Transit System for San Diego

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 1© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning.

INTRODUCING THE

Quickway Proposal

A CITIZEN-BASED INITIATIVE FOR A

FASTER & MORE EFFECTIVE RAPID

TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR SAN DIEGO

for the Scripps Ranch/Miramar Ranch North Traffic Reduction Project

Produced by Alan Hoffman at:

[email protected]

+1 (619) 232-1776

UPDATED 24 APRIL 2017

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 2

What’s the problem?

Abandon Hope


1. The Trolley is not attracting large numbers of people from their cars.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

City Bus

(25%)

0% 1995 2003

% of Trolley Riders Who “Had an Auto Available” for Their Trip

2009

Source: SANDAG

Why?1. Trolley trips still take too long.

2. Stations are often not conveniently located.

3. The overall customer experience is lacking.

Despite four new segments added to our Trolley system, it still doesn’t attract a larger share of “choice” riders.


2. The Trolley is not attracting the middle-income market.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Below

$15k

$15k -

<$25k

$25k -

<$50k

$50k -

<$75k

$75k -

<$100k

$100k

and Up

MTSBus

TrolleyCommuter

RailFreeway

Bus

Source: SANDAG, “Results of the 2009 Onboard Transit Passenger Survey for the San Diego Region,” (February, 2011).

The San Diego Trolley (light rail) attracts the identical low-income market of the MTS Bus.

Household

Income

The Trolley attracts the same demographic as

the MTS bus. Only 20% of riders come

from households earning over $50k/yr.


3. Too many land uses are not well-served.

¼ Mile Radius around Trolley

Station

Office Employment

Mission ValleyMission Valley is one of

the region’s largest office markets… yet

most office jobs aren’t within walking distance

of a Trolley station!


4. The RTP fails to meet the City’s Climate Action Plan targets…or the Governor’s 2050 targets

Our Regional Transportation Plan

fails to reduce Greenhouse Gas

Emissions enough to meet 2050 targets.

7San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning

If we’re serious about:Climate change (greenhouse gas impacts)

Traffic congestion

Quality of life

Better managing and directing growth & development

Then we need a transit system that’s:Significantly faster

Better located

More direct

With a better customer experience


What’s the solution?Better located & configured

stations

A regional Quickway

infrastructure

A regional MetroXpress

network


An effective transit system doesn’t begin with extending trolley or bus lines.


It begins with locating stations—the points around which we will grow

and develop as a region.


We want to minimize the number of people waiting by the side of the road…


Station

Station

…and maximize the number that live within walking distance of a true rapid transit station…


2-MileRadius

…or within a short drive of a suburban park-and-ride station.

Source: 2010 US Census population distribution


What should stations be like? We want better protection from the elements...


...whether it’s the occasional rain…


SHADE

...the hot sun…


...or the wind.


And if you’re with small children, you shouldn’t have to worry about them running

or falling into the path of a vehicle.


So we like stations that feel like real stations, with live information announcing arrivals, full overhead protection from sun and rain, and sliding glass doors that

match up to the doors on the transit vehicle. Regardless of mode—rail or bus—you should have the same consistent experience. Mode shouldn’t matter.

1 2 3 4

Waiting for vehicle




1 2 3 4

Vehicle arrives




1 2 3 4

Board vehicle




1 2 3 4

Vehicle departs


Johannesburg, South Africa

Transit stations around the world protect people from sun, wind,

rain, and moving vehicles.


Caen, France




Bogotá, Colombia



San Diego Quickway Proposal 26© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning

Proposed Rapid Transit Stations

Stations belong at the hearts of

our neighborhoods. So that’s where

we located them.


Regional Commuting Patterns

Downtown Greater Golden Triangle Palomar Airport Rd

How should these stations be linked up? We tried to match

origins with likely destinations.


Ideal Transit Network…

Needless to say, a spaghetti web of connections is difficult to operate...


…but we were able to condense these down so that they took advantage of a manageable set of corridors.


But we still had two key problems left to solve.


How can we make transit faster? People don’t want to stop at every stop between their homes and their destinations—that can take forever.

“All Stops”

Express

Travel Time: “All Stops” vs. Express Service


“Rapid” Bus?

MTS #1 Bus: 30 mins.

Rapid Bus: 26 mins.

Time Savings: 4 mins. (13%)

Distance: 5.2 miles

Source: Google Maps Transit Trip Planner,

In-vehicle time only for 8 am departure

on Thursday, March 26, 2015

DEPART COLLEGE & EL CAJON

BLVDARRIVE PARK BLVD AT

UNIVERSITY AVE

And much as we appreciate the new Rapid Bus lines, their average arterial speed of just 15 mph—or, for this stretch, 12

mph—isn’t really rapid. We need faster… a lot faster.


Every

5 minutes

saved in a one-way

commute

One full work week

40 hoursof time

every year!

In fact, every 5 minutes we can shave off a person’s one-way commute saves them one full work-week of their time every year—time they could better spend

working, relaxing, or parenting their kids. This, by the way, is an environmental justice issue.

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 34San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

Our solution was to overlay an express network on top of an “all-stops” network.

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 35San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

And by having these express routes crisscross at a strategically located set of “SuperStations”…


Leapfrogging the Region

…you can now leapfrog from most

likely origins to most likely destinations with a single station-based

transfer.


The “Last Mile” Challenge

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

1/4 Mile (5 min. walk): Effective walking distance from home.

1/2 Mile (10 min. walk): Outer bound for walking.

1 Mile (20 min. walk): The great challenge.

TRANSIT STATION

The second key problem was how to extend transit the

“last mile” for many more people.


Mission Valley

¼ Mile Radius around Trolley

Station

Take Mission Valley, our second largest office market, for

example, where most offices are beyond a 5-minute walk of

a trolley station.

Office Employment


We came up with two solutions to the “last

mile” problem.


Last Mile: “Jumping the Tracks”

STATION

STATION

First, we could take our express network and have these vehicles “jump the track,” as it were, to travel down major arterials not directly served by a station. By doing that, we vastly extended

the reach of rapid transit.


Streetcars

We also propose an extensive network of streetcar lines

targeting dense, active corridors in highly urbanized core zones,

well-integrated with our proposed station network.


“Total Transit”

Second, we came up with the concept of “Total Transit,” a set of

additional services customers could add to their monthly transit pass.


The “Total Transit” Concept

2. Guaranteed Parking Space at Local Transit Center

1. Neighborhood Car

3. Full Use of Transit

4. Insurance on Car

For a fixed monthly price, riders would receive a small Neighborhood Electric Vehicle which would be theirs alone to use. They could take care of their local

needs like shopping in addition to accessing and using the transit network.


It’s worth noting that the diminutive vehicle size means

that we could provide structured parking for these vehicles at a cost

comparable to surface parking for normal-sized cars.


The point is, we want to make it so that a person or family could meet a wide range of needs entirely through their transit pass, so that families don’t

need to buy that 3rd or 4th car.


Notice that up to now we haven’t said much about mode. That’s because we believe the choice of

mode should be driven by the kind of network you need to deploy to meet your strategic goals.


All-Stops “Trolley-Like” Service

Regional Express Service

One Infrastructure = Lower Cost!

San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman

In the case of San Diego, if our strategic objective is to create a full network within twenty years, with both all-stops and express routes

on the same transit infrastructure…


…then we need to begin with a rubber-tired but trolley-like system at its core.


Brisbane: The Quickway Model

“Brisbane is now at the leading edge in urban mass transit… the new busway… will attract international attention for the level of quality and customer focus that [has been] incorporated.”

— Hans Rat, Secretary General International Public Transport Association (IUTP)

We hired the planners behind Brisbane, Australia’s, highly

successful Quickway system, an example of

Global Best Practices in a city not unlike San Diego.


Brisbane pioneered the Quickway concept—grade-separated

busways that allow both All-Stops and Express services to share the

same infrastructure.


Grade separation means no cross traffic, leading to faster and more reliable travel times. Tunnels and

flyovers let transit avoid congestion and place stations in

optimal locations.


Quickways feature true rapid transit stations with passing

lanes for express routes.


Quickways make express transit economically viable by radically reducing travel time—a point missed even by other

transit planning experts.


Brisbane’s first Quickway, the

Southeast Busway, now

routinely moves over 20,000

passengers at the peak hour in the peak

location in the peak direction—

about 7 ½ times the

volume moved by our Trolley system at its busiest point.

Peak Ridership

Southeast Busway (2-lane)

SDTrolley

20,000+ 2,700

at the Busiest Spotduring the Busiest Hourin the Peak Direction

Peak HourPeak LocationPeak Direction


140%

120%

160%

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%2003 2009

+ 60%

Brisbane: Ridership Growth

2008 Ridership:

Rail: 60 million

Busway: 50 million

2010 Ridership:

Busway: 72 million

Even with a robust electrified commuter rail system, Brisbane’s 13 miles of

Quickways produced a 60% increase in transit ridership in just six-years.


Future-Proofing

And Quickways can be designed for conversion to rail when

demand warrants, such as this example from Seattle.


Our point isn’t to sing the praises of Quickways, or to denigrate other modes; rather, it is to say that by supporting a far faster

express network fully integrated into the rest of the transit system, Quickways can shape our future growth in a way that

would be cost-prohibitive with other modes.


Long-Term Evolution

Quickway segment & station

(Underground)

Quickway segment & station

(Underground)

With Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time, and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.


Uncongested roadwayQuickway segment & station Quickway segment & station

Long-Term EvolutionWith Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time,

and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.


Quickway segment & station Quickway segment & station




Quickway segment & station Quickway segment & station




What are we proposing?


Regional Quickway System

Quickway(Grade-Separated

Transitway)

Heavy RailLight RailQuickway

So what we propose is a 92-mile Quickway network targeting the densest heart of our region.


New Streetcar & Light Rail

Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar

We also proposed over 60 miles of new rail lines. Our plan is clearly not “anti-rail”; it’s “right rail.”


Surface (At-Grade) Busways

T-Way(At Grade Busway)


At-Grade Busway

An additional 50 miles of surface treatments together make the system work.


Freeway Lanes(HOV, Shoulder, or Managed)

Freeway Lanes


At-Grade BuswayFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway Lanes

And while we take advantage of freeway managed lanes and HOV lanes in places…


Transit = FAIL!

When the freeway is blocked:

…freeways are no substitute for a better-located and more reliable infrastructure.


Scalability

ElevatedSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceTunnel

HILLCREST TUNNEL

HOTEL CIRCLE

FLYOVER

HILLCREST CENTRAL

UCSD HILLCREST

HOTEL CIRCLE

FASHION VALLEY

A Quickway system doesn’t have to be built all at once. We can begin by building key pieces, like the Hillcrest Tunnel and Hotel

Circle Flyover, and use surface bus lanes to link to downtown…


Scalability

…and then overlay other routes that use existing arterials.

Existing “Rapid Bus” Route

New “Rapid Bus” Route Overlayed on

Existing Route

New “Rapid

Bus” Route

New “Rapid

Bus” Route


Cowles Mtn Station, Navajo Rd

In other places, we can build short dedicated transit sections, like this

concept for a Cowles Mountain station on Navajo Road. Once the network is in place, new pieces can be constructed to reduce

travel time, avoid congestion, and meet capacity demands.


Another big advantage of a Quickway network is its flexibility. In the future, we could deploy automated vehicles to increase frequencies,

shorten wait times, and cost-effectively serve more destinations.


We might convert some corridors to rail as ridership and movement patterns warrant. None of our options are excluded, and our children will thank us for

developing so flexible an approach to meeting future needs.


Needless to say, for Quickways to target our densest zones, they will

need to travel underground in places and on elevated structures in

others, much like the Trolley by SDSU. Even so, our costs are not out of

line, as we’ll get to soon.


www.quickwayproposal.wix.com/proposal

www.quickwayproposal.wix.com/proposal

This presentation will showcase only a few elements of the Quickway Proposal. For a more comprehensive

view, please see the reports and detailed presentations on our project website.


The Quickway Proposal



1

4

5

2

3

6

We’ll start in the urban core.


Bus volumes justify expense of grade

separation, which in turn makes transit faster, cheaper to

operate, and attract more riders.

Tunnel

Within the Urban Core, we propose a mostly underground

Quickway infrastructure, essentially a bus subway modeled on Brisbane’s.


1. Total system cost is still less than current plans.

2. Major reduction in vehicle operating costs.

3. Avoids congestion in most congested areas.

4. Can be combined with water main and sewage system upgrades, saving billions of harder-to-get dollars.

5. Better supports smart growth in areas with strong market demand.

Why so many tunnels?


Brisbane’s downtown “bus subway” features underground

stations that separate passengers from vehicles.


Bus volumes justify expense of grade

separation, which in turn makes transit faster, cheaper to

operate, and attract more riders.

ElevatedSurfaceTunnel

Surface and elevated sections complement tunnel sections—

together, they create a spine well-located to support future growth.


TROLLEY RIDERSHIP

QUICKWAY RIDERSHIP

COASTER RIDERSHIP

Source:

Modeling of ridership using 2006 trip data

Projected ridership is several times that of the Trolley, with

many, many more redevelopment opportunities.


Gaslamp/Convention Ctr

Gaslamp Central

Horton Plaza

Laurel

Fashion Valley

Sharp Hospitals

Uptown District

HillcrestCentral

Santa Fe

Old Town

Linda Vista/Morena

PB Central

Boulevard

City Heights

12th & Imperial

North Park

Airport East

Airport West

SuperStations serve both all-stops routes and our proposed

MetroXpress network.


Horton Plaza

Fashion Valley

Santa Fe

Old Town

Linda Vista/Morena

PB Central


Laurel

Sharp Hospitals

HillcrestCentral

Boulevard

Gaslamp Central

City Heights

MetroXpress

Airport East

Airport West

Uptown District

North Park

MetroXpress routes branch out to serve major

arterials, giving people easy access to the Quickway network.


SUPERSTATION

LOCAL STATION

QUICKWAY TROLLEY

LEGEND

How MetroXpress Routes Work

1. Route departs.

1

SANTA FEHORTON

PLAZA

LAUREL/ BALBOA

PK

HILLCREST CENTER

OLD TOWN

HOTEL CIRCLE

UCSD HILLCREST

UPAS

CORTEZ

UPTOWN DISTRICT

MetroXpress routes are at the heart of the Quickway

Proposal.


SUPERSTATION

LOCAL STATION

QUICKWAY TROLLEY

LEGEND


1. Route departs.

2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.2

SANTA FEHORTON

PLAZA

LAUREL/ BALBOA

PK

HILLCREST CENTER

OLD TOWN UCSD HILLCREST

UPAS

CORTEZ

UPTOWN DISTRICT

In the case of the proposed F60 (Santa Fe Express), riders would

reach the Hillcrest Center SuperStation completely

free of traffic and stopping just twice.

HOTEL CIRCLE


SUPERSTATION

LOCAL STATION

QUICKWAY TROLLEY

LEGEND


1. Route departs.

2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.

3. Route leaves Quickway and serves a community, stopping at local stops.

3

SANTA FEHORTON

PLAZA

LAUREL/ BALBOA

PK

HILLCREST CENTER


UPAS

CORTEZ

UPTOWN DISTRICT

When traveling along arterials, MetroXpress

routes can either operate as nonstop, limited stop, or all-stop, depending on

circumstances.

HOTEL CIRCLE


SUPERSTATION

LOCAL STATION

QUICKWAY TROLLEY

LEGEND


1. Route departs.

2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.

3. Route leaves Quickway and serves a community, stopping at local stops.

4. Route re-enters Quickway and ends at SuperStation.

SANTA FEHORTON

PLAZA

LAUREL/ BALBOA

PK

HILLCREST CENTER


UPAS

CORTEZ

UPTOWN DISTRICT

The flexibility of Quickways allows for all of the benefits of fixed infrastructure while still

allowing the route network to evolve with

future needs.

HOTEL CIRCLE4


Horton Plaza

Fashion Valley

Santa Fe

Old Town

Linda Vista/Morena


Laurel

Sharp Hospitals

HillcrestCentral

Boulevard

Gaslamp Central

City Heights

PB Central

Airport East

Airport West

Uptown District

North Park

In addition, an extensive series of streetcar routes would extend the reach of fixed infrastructure

transit.


Horton Plaza

Fashion Valley

Santa Fe

Old Town

Linda Vista/Morena


Laurel

Sharp Hospitals

HillcrestCentral

Boulevard

Gaslamp Central

City Heights

PB Central

Airport East

Airport West

Uptown District

North Park

One-Seat Ride to Balboa Park!

One of these streetcars—perhaps an historic one—

would connect the underground Laurel/Balboa Park SuperStation—a one-seat ride from any station pictured here—with the

Plaza de Panama, the heart of Balboa Park.


Routes directlyserving the Balboa

Park (Laurel Street) Station

Fun’n’Sun tourist route

One-Seat Ride to Balboa Park!

Core or MetroXpressService (in Express mode)

MetroXpress in local mode

Many residents & visitors will have a

fast, direct, one-seat ride to Balboa Park

All of the depicted routes directly serve the

Laurel/Balboa Park SuperStation, massively

amplifying access.



The City of San Diego needs to rehabilitate old water and sewer lines. That project can be combined with the

proposed Quickway tunnels, substantially slashing the costs of the reconstruction and using transportation dollars—which

are easier to come by—to help significantly reduce the costs of our other

infrastructure needs.



SeaWorldFlyover

Fun’n’Sun LineUTC

UTC WestUCSD CentralLibrary Walk

Mandell WeissBirch AquariumOceanographyLa Jolla ShoresAvenida de la

PlayaArdath

ProspectLa Jolla Cove

Children’s PoolContemporary

Marine StWindanseaBird Rock

ColimaTurquoise

Crystal PierGrand AvePB Drive

Santa ClaraEl Carmel

Belmont ParkBahia

QuiviraSea World

GrotonSports Arena

Riley

Old TownPresidio Hanalei

HandleryTown & CountryFashion Valley

Hotel CircleHillcrest Center

Laurel/Balboa PkCortez

Horton PlazaGaslamp Central

Convention CtrConvention WestSeaport VillageOld Police HQ

Embarcadero SMidway

Cruise ShipsEmbarcadero NHarbor IslandAirport West

InletNimitzScott

America’s CupShelter Island

PortugalThe Wooded Area

Fort RosecransCabrillo

Monument

SeaWorld gets a flyover with an elevated station integrated into its entry plaza. This flyover is used by a proposed tourist-focused route,

the Fun’n’Sun Line, linking many of our tourist destinations with

thousands of hotel rooms, and featuring specially designed stops.


Pacific Beach

Streetcar System


Quickway tunnels lead into Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and a Pacific Beach Streetcar

system connects a centrally-located SuperStation with Garnet Avenue, Mission Boulevard, and Crown Point. The tunnels bypass two more of the region’s worst

traffic knots.

PB Central PB Gateway



La Jolla/Coronado

Express

From the PB Central SuperStation, MetroXpress routes fan out in all

directions. Another such route, the La Jolla/Coronado Express, links La Jolla to downtown with just five

intervening stops. This is faster than driving.

PB Central



Clairemont benefits from two short underground Quickway segments.

These allow us to locate stations where they can best serve residents and

businesses and avoid traffic delays.

Clairemont Town Square

Balboa & Genessee


This illustration, from Brisbane, depicts a

below-grade but open-air station planned for a

shopping center.


Kearny Mesa

Kearny Mesa is served by both Quickway and surface transitway (T-Way) infrastructure,

placing most destinations within

walking distance of a rapid transit station.


MetroXpress

Routes

MetroXpress routes would connect even more of the zone to

rapid transit.

Kearny Mesa


MetroXpress

Routes

Autonomous shuttles connect SuperStations with key

corridors and destinations with minimal wait times.

Kearny Mesa


MetroXpress Routes

QuickwaysThe Greater Golden

Triangle is fed by well-located Quickways. MetroXpress routes

branch off from them, getting closer to residents and businesses. Perhaps One Paseo could benefit from these connections?


LOSSANCorridor

High Speed Rail

Streetcar

We propose a new rail tunnel for the LOSSAN corridor on the east side of UTC, allowing for an ideally-located station that could also serve the future High Speed Rail line, while a new

Streetcar line replaces today’s SuperLoop with a faster and more useful route. Virtually all

major employers and many, if not most residents would now enjoy rapid access to

High Speed Rail.


Santee

Grossmont

Centerline

City Heights

SDSU

Lemon Grove

Spring Valley

College


Mid-City and East County benefit from

underground, surface, and elevated infrastructure.


Santee

Grossmont

Centerline

City Heights

SDSU

Lemon Grove

Spring Valley

College

MetroXpress routes branch out to serve major

arterials, giving people easy access to the Quickway network.


0:10

0:20

0:30

0:40

0:10

0:20

0:30

0:40

Downtown to SDSU Lemon Grove to SDSU

Today

TodayQuickwayProposal

QuickwayProposal

These improvements could cut travel time between Downtown and SDSU from 39 minutes today to just 18 minutes in the

future—less than half the time of either the Trolley or the new Rapid Bus. Lemon Grove to SDSU, meanwhile, would be an 8

minute trip, compared to today’s 21 minutes.


One of the benefits of a truly useful transit system is that it lets us dream larger about

our future.


Sails to Trails

MISSION TRAILS

BALBOAPARK

For example, a decade ago Richard Louv wrote about my proposal for

Sails to Trails, a linear park linking San Diego Bay with Mission Trails Regional

Park via El Cajon Boulevard and Balboa Park.


Boston

“Sails to Trails” is modeled on streets such as Commonwealth Avenue in Boston and similar streets in other cities…


Berlin...like this street in Berlin…


Lima, Peru...and this street in Lima…


Mexico City...and this street in Mexico…


New York City!…and this proposal for Park Avenue.

EXISTING

PROPOSED


Curitiba’s “Structural Corridors”

Curitiba, Brazil, adopted one of the world’s smartest growth strategies by concentrating all high density around well-located transit lines, pushing through traffic to parallel roads, and locating parks and plazas along the main corridors.


Curitiba—Concentrated Density

By concentrating high densities immediately along well-located transit lines, most of the city was preserved for single-family housing and other lower-density uses.


San Diego—Dispersed Density

In contrast, San Diego spread denser development widely, making it impossible to serve effectively with transit or provide near-access parks and people spaces.


Sails to Trails

this thin green strip can link a series of plazas surrounding

underground Quickway stations…

MISSION TRAILS

BALBOAPARK


…shady squares that can anchor new development, support targeted retail, and function as the community living rooms for our Mid-City neighborhoods.


Millennials (Generation Y), especially, want to live in such mixed-use “villages.”


These plazas, linked by the Sails to Trails Linear Park, are places that neighbors walk to.


Obviously, densities, building heights, and the size of the surrounding redevelopment zone should be decided through the Community Plan Process.


The Quickway Proposal, by creating a more effective transit system (faster connections to many more destinations), makes this concept

viable at a wide range of densities and building forms.


Sails to TrailsThere are numerous

precedents for converting even major city streets into linear parks. Sails to Trails should tell the story of San Diego and San Diegans as it

passes through different environments and

communities.

MISSION TRAILS

BALBOAPARK


Cities all over the world are creating or have created urban linear

parks, turning streets into places for people.

SAN FRANCISCO BOGOTÁ

LONDON AUCKLAND


Barcelona’s famous Rambla has long inspired San Diego’s urban design community. With downtown set to add another 40,000

residents, this kind of amenity could prove transformative.


Sails to Trails

HighlineA “Highline” for pedestrians and bicycles could bridge

over Alvarado Canyon and I-8 to make the final connection

to the Trails.

MISSION TRAILS

BALBOAPARK


These plazas can anchor new development while enhancing and restoring adjacent single-family neighborhoods damaged in the 70s and 80s

through insensitive and currently non-conforming “dumbbell” buildings.


An incentive program can grant developers density bonuses for building in station areas if they replace non-conforming buildings in adjacent

neighborhoods with higher quality housing, whether detached, duplex, or row homes. An appropriate percentage of units should be made affordable.


Vancouver, BC, Canada

This kind of large-scale transformation has precedents.


Portland, Oregon



Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil



Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County, Virginia, successfully developed around transit while preserving existing neighborhoods. This is doable.


Sønder Blvd, Copenhagen

Copenhagen took a road similar in size to El Cajon Boulevard and stripped out all but 2 through lanes, turning the entire wide middle section into a linear park.


Sønder Blvd, CopenhagenSønder Blvd, Copenhagen

Copenhagen won the European Prize for Urban Public Space in 2008 for the creation of the Sønder Boulevard linear park.


Sønder Blvd, Copenhagen

Despite the apparent density of the surrounding community, the linear park makes it very livable and desirable.


North Park

Sails to Trails takes these lessons from both Curitiba and Copenhagen and applies them to El Cajon Boulevard.


SpringValley

Gaslamp/Convention Ctr E

Barrio Logan

8th St

Plaza Blvd

Plaza Bonita

Terra Nova

Southwestern College

County South

San Ysidro Otay Border

Palomar


The South Bay features Quickways operating mostly underground

through National City and Chula Vista as well as surface transitways.


Spring ValleyGaslamp/Convention Ctr E

Barrio Logan

8th St

Plaza Blvd

Plaza Bonita

Terra Nova Southwestern College

County South

San Ysidro Otay Border

Palomar

MetroXpress Routes branch out to serve many

of the other corridors, linking much of the South

Bay into a rapid and convenient network and

supporting economic development efforts.

The Quickway Proposal, pt. 8: North County© 2014 by The Mission Group 136136© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning

ManagedLanes

Rail

Proposed Extensions to Sprinter

North County sees major improvements, too. We

recommend Sprinter extensions to get closer to residents on the east and the jobs on the west.


GradeSeparated

Road

OceansideVista

Palomar College

EscondidoTransit

Ctr

NorthCountyFair

FlowerFields

Rancho Bernardo

Palomar Airport

Poinsettia

EncinitasBlvd

Fairgrounds

CarmelGateway

Tech Ctr

UCSDCentral

UTC

A network of Quickways connects to major employment sites. We

also recommend grade-separating much of El Camino Real and all of Palomar Airport Road, turning both into free-

flowing roads .


Nimitz Boulevard in Point Loma is a local example of a grade-separated road. passing either under or

over cross-streets. This can effectively double auto

carrying capacity mostly within the existing footprint and dramatically cut both auto and transit times,

taking significant pressure off I-5 and better

supporting existing community character.


Median transitways are proposed for a newly

grade-separated Palomar Airport Road

and portions of El Camino Real.


OceansideVista

Palomar College

EscondidoTransit

Ctr

NorthCountyFair

Rancho Bernardo

Palomar Airport

Poinsettia

EncinitasBlvd

Fairgrounds

CarmelGateway

Tech Ctr

UCSDCentral

UTC

FlowerFields

An integrated set of MetroXpress and shuttle

routes connects most major employment sites and tourism/shopping sites into the network.


Legoland Station (connects

rapidly to Flower Fields

SuperStation)

Pedestrian “Lego”

bridge connects to

Park entrance

Legoland Station

Even Legoland gets a special station and pedestrian bridge.


What about costs and ridership?


Estimated Capital Costs

($ Billions)

$-

$5

$10

$15

$20

QuickwayProposal

Existing2050 Plan

$14

$20

$ B

illio

ns

Our capital cost model, developed by a respected engineering firm, projected a $14 billion price tag—$6 billion less than the

transit component of our Regional Transportation Plan.


Projected Operating Subsidies through 2050

($ Billions)

$11

$14

$19

$-

$5

$10

$15

$20

Quickway

Proposal:

LOW

Quickway

Proposal:

HIGH

Current

2050 Plan

$ B

illio

ns

We also projected $5-8 billion less in operating subsidies between now and 2050. Of course, these are preliminary numbers, but they are encouraging.

Quickway Proposal

Low

Quickway Proposal

High

Current 2050 Plan


If anything, these costs ignore two other sources of savings: the road projects we will no longer need to build, as transit picks up the slack…


…and the possibility that our proposal will reduce the need for families to own that third or fourth car, reducing regional demand for new parking by up to $40 billion—a hidden and

privatized cost of the existing plan.


Today Existing2050Plan

Quickway Proposal

2050

500,000

1,000,000

Projected Daily RidershipOur ridership modeling shows huge

increases in ridership at close to twice as many new trips per dollar invested

than the existing plan.


Comparative Travel Times

0:10

0:20

0:30

0:40

Current Transit

0:50

1:00

Quickway Proposal

When we analyzed travel time on 54

likely trip pairs, we found average

reductions of just short of 2/3, meaning

that an hour-long transit trip today

would be about 21 minutes in our

proposal—competitive with driving for many

people.


The Quickway Proposal



So there you have the Quickway Proposal—a synthesis of Global Best Practices that is uniquely San Diego.

Design

Introducing the Quickway Proposal - A Vision for a World-Class Transit System for San Diego