The Site: Sorrento Valley in San Diego
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THE PROBLEM: The term “so close and yet so far” comes to mind when describing the bike route Linsey Friske must take from the Sorrento Valley Coaster station to her office on North Torrey Pines Road.
The trip is not long, but it requires riding on the shoulder of Interstate 5 between Sorrento Valley Road and Genesee Avenue. Friske's greatest challenge is at the end of her day when she must cross three lanes of traffic and merge with cars from westbound Genesee heading for the freeway. As she wrote in her plea for help, it is not “for the faint of heart.”
Friske contacted Caltrans and the city of San Diego before contacting Just Fix It. If a better route can't be found, she said, Caltrans should at least put concrete barriers between car and bicycle traffic.
STATUS: We wish we had good news, but the best we can offer is a safer alternative.
The San Diego Association of Governments, San Diego and other coastal cities are planning a coastal rail trail for cyclists that will loosely follow the tracks between Oceanside and San Diego. But with the steep terrain between Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines Mesa, a better bike route is not in the plans, said Brad Jacobsen, an associate traffic engineer for San Diego who works on bicycle route issues.
There is a steep road connecting the areas, but it leads to General Atomics. A company spokesman said it cannot allow access to cyclists. Caltrans will not install barriers.
The best solution is a shuttle service from the Coaster station that stops near Friske's office. The service, offered by the Metropolitan Transit System, is free but will cost $40 a month starting in September.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Brad Jacobsen, who can be reached at (619) 533-3126 or bjacobsen@sandiego.gov.
IT'S FIXED: New restrooms have opened at Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park in Normal Heights, and two portable outhouses were removed over the weekend.
As we first wrote in June 2007, residents near the 39th Street park had long asked the city to remove the outhouses, which were heavily used and not very well maintained.
WHO GOT IT DONE: Barry Kelleher, a project manager with San Diego's Engineering and Capital Projects Department, who can be reached at (619) 533-5219 or bkelleher@sandiego.gov.
NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem government hasn't fixed despite your complaints? Whether it's a missing bus bench or an unkempt park anywhere in San Diego County, Just Fix It might be able to help.
Complaint forms are at justfixit.uniontrib.com, or call (800) 820-8714.
