Came across this interesting article about mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher and his plans to make San Diego the most bike-friendly city in the world (his words). According to his wiki page, Fletcher has competed in IronMan, is an avid cyclist and mountainbiker, and decorated war vet. He seems like he would definitely be an ally to mountainbikers and all for trail access and related issues. Has anyone (or any organization) tried to reach out to him re: the current trail issues?

Full disclosure - I'm not trying to get anyone to vote for him. He's a republican and I'm a democrat, so I'm still doing my due diligence. He just seems friendly to the cause.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar ... san-diego/

Fletcher unveils plan for bike-friendly San Diego

Mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher will release his plan to make San Diego one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities. He will be joined by recreational cyclists, triathletes and other cycling enthusiasts.

WHO:Nathan Fletcher, candidate for mayor; Anton Villatoro, pro cyclist; Richard Byrne, CEO, Speedplay; Tracie Phan, triathlete

WHAT: Release plan to improve San Diego’s bike infrastructure

WHEN: Wednesday, March 7, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE:Tecolote Shores Park, 1604 East Mission Bay Drive, San Diego.

San Diego mayoral candidate Nathan Fletcher releases the latest of his position papers on Wednesday, his plan for turning San Diego into “one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.” It is titled “Cycling to the Future: Creating New Transportation Options for San Diego.”

Fletcher’s plan for a bike-friendly city includes increasing safety for cyclists on city streets, providing more recreational opportunities, putting the city’s existing bicycle master plan into action and investing in the quality of city streets so that they can accommodate all modes of transportation.

In an interview in advance of the plan’s release, Fletcher cited the potential San Diego has to take its place among the great cycling cities.

“Portland should be saying that it wants to be like San Diego,” he said.

Ironically among the inspirations for Fletcher’s plan was the book “Joy Ride” by Mia Birk, one of the architects of the Oregon city’s ascendance to the top of the list of cycling-friendly regions.

Fletcher lists two major goals in his plan:

Increase the number of San Diegans cycling to work and school to 121,000 by 2020 from the current 65,000. According to Fletcher this would eliminate 11 million vehicle trips a year and remove 37,000 tons of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Reduce the number of vehicle-related fatalities and injuries to cyclists to below the national average.
As for how these goals will be accomplished, Fletcher offers an array of proposals beginning with the adoption by city engineers of the progressive Urban Bikeway Design Guide which pulls the best practices of bike-friendly cities from around the world. Hand-in-hand with the Guide, Fletcher says he’ll commit his administration to following the state’s Complete Streets Act of 2008 which requires all new road design to accommodate all modes of transportation.

Fletcher says that San Diego’s current Bicycle Master Plan, approved in June 2011 is a good one. “What the plan doesn’t include,” he states, “is a plan of action or commitment from city leaders to find and allocate the resources we need to move the plan forward.”

Under this plan, San Diego’s existing 510 miles of “bike paths, lanes and routes” could be expanded to 878 miles of bike lanes and routes, 40 miles of bicycle boulevards and 7 miles of cycle tracks and well as 166 miles of multi-use paths.

He also plans to aggressively push for updates to the cities 40 community master plans, some of which have not changed in decades, with a vision toward connecting them with bicycle and pedestrian friendly roads and paths and transit.

Fletcher strongly backs the development of bike sharing programs, connecting them to Coaster and trolley stops. Fletcher also calls for an increase in low-cost road markings like bicycle lanes and “sharrows” (symbols that indicate a road must be shared by vehicles and bicycles).

awesome. I was just in Portland 2 weeks ago and was blown away by how progressive their bike lane/awareness is.

I like this Fletcher guy more and more.

heard he mtn bikes with his son. well, this from a letter he sent out about protecting canyonlands ("recreational opportunities" mentioned)

http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/75/eContac ... rrrgc4.htm

better potential than what we've experienced from demaio's action, or lack thereof, for the del mar mesa (tunnels) morass.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Regardless of politics, it sure would be nice to have a SD Mayor who rides.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

Pandering to the left just like when GW rode his mtb. ill still take it though. Vote Fletcher! Oh wait, I live OC now. I also have heard that Whistler's mayor was also the president of the local mtb association and that worked out pretty well.

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"In a time of universal deciet, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

yes, and although whistler's natural mtb endowments are plentiful, they still have winter.

with so many cities seeing the financial up-side of publicly supported mtb trails and parks, here in sd where, ok we don't have whistler, but where we do have year round riding, no one's mined that vein yet. not only haven't they mined it, but the politicos seem to be doing all they can to go the other way because, as you well know, mtn bikers are proven environmental terrorists.

sherri leightner (i think it was) being another politico that seemed to find it easier to be on the side of the conservationists (ie, politically correct) than actually take a hard look into the issues of del mar mesa. and it's no wonder when they have chris zirkle espousing 'preservation over recreation' as though we were living in the middle of montana, instead of a populated city where recreation can enforce, and is required for, preservation. this paradigm has been proven in any park/preserve within a major city throughout the globe........except san diego.



great, all this and just before my anger management class.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Dang Joe, an upbeat thread on local politics for a change, and you still talked yourself into a funk.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

In that case......Rich Julien for County Supervisor!

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

Hmmmm...I'm more of a Demaio fan for the main issues facing this town, but I wouldn't hesitate to vote for Fletcher. He had some amazing war (yes, actual war) stories one morning on XX1090 and seems like a decent guy overall.

All I ask is don't vote for that unethical, do-nothing (worthwhile at least), egomaniac Filner. There, I said it. He even resembles a weasel physically.

"Yuck yuck"

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"New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign."
--Alex Baldwin, unknowingly describing his socialist utopia.

Demaio is horrible. Atrocious. He can't be trusted. Sociopath is a good description. I would never vote for him.

unethical.
do-nothing.
egomaniac.
let's see he also received a ph.d from cornell, so elitist then, of course.
some derogatory remarks about appearance and a weasel.
gee, could it be that filner is a democrat?

oh, the horror!

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

He's got my vote!!!!

Let's take him to DMM!!!! I'm sure his son will enjoy it

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My Favorite Trail is unknown to many, everybody here loves it.