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Wait a second before you grab those car keys. Are you sure driving to work by yourself is the best way to go?
A few years ago, most people wouldn't have given that question a second thought. But now, as freeway frustrations increase and public transportation improvements are made, a reinvention of San Diego’s commute is under way — a shift that will continue well into the 21st century.
The most striking evidence of this shows up in San Diego Trolley and Coaster ridership. Since 1996, ridership on the trolley system has increased by more than 40 percent. Meanwhile the Coaster, North County Transit District's express rail service from Oceanside to Downtown San Diego, now carries 5,000 passengers on most weekdays, up 20 percent from last year. Bus ridership continues to increase as well.
The rate of increase in alternative modes has easily exceeded our average population growth rate of 2 percent to 3 percent over the past few years. So why are these modes so popular? The bottom line is, compared to commuting alone in a car, these services are becoming more attractive. And they will continue to become more competitive as our freeways get more crowded and transit service areas expand.
In terms of convenience, the trolley recently improved regional access with extensions to Old Town and then to the shopping centers and Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley. The Coaster's popularity rises as traffic flow on nearby Interstate 5 deteriorates. More drivers are choosing to avoid the time or stress that’s required to navigate the choked freeway or the infamous "5/805" merge.
As we move into the next century, transit will become even more convenient for hundreds of thousands of county residents. San Diego’s resurgent economy will result in more jobs, and this growth will feed the lengthening streams of angry red taillights on our freeways. And because major freeway improvements that could compensate for this are unlikely to be completed anytime soon because of their staggering cost, more people will be encouraged to try transit.
Our region's transit agencies also plan to add services that will reach more parts of the county in the next decade. Next year the Metropolitan Transit Development Board breaks ground on the Mission Valley East Trolley extension, which will link the Trolley Blue Line in Mission Valley with the Orange Line in La Mesa starting in 2004. The new line will add San Diego State University and Alvarado Hospital Medical Center to the long list of major traffic generators the Trolley serves. It also will provide a reliable alternative to driving the Interstate 8 corridor.
In North County, NCTD is working to provide a rail link between Oceanside and Escondido, relieving traffic on Highway 78. The service, scheduled to begin in 2006, will have stops in Vista and San Marcos, including a stop at CSU San Marcos. Combined, these new services are expected to draw another 5 million riders annually to the region's public transit system.
Alternative transportation also is becoming more competitive with driving alone in terms of cost. As freeways get more crowded and driving times increase, operating a car becomes more expensive. And who's willing to wager that gas prices, while low at present, won’t be higher a year from now, let alone 10 years from now?
Transit use also should blossom in the coming years thanks to the preference many San Diego County residents have developed for taking buses, Trolleys or the Coaster to major sporting and entertainment events. These occasions help people get past the "familiarity barrier" of using transit and often convince them to use it regularly.
In the coming years, county residents will have even more opportunities to "sample" transit on their way to major events. In 2002, the Padres will open their Downtown ballpark, and an estimated 20 percent of fans will use transit to get to games. Then, in 2004, residents of eastern San Diego, Santee, El Cajon and La Mesa will be able to zip directly to Qualcomm Stadium via the Mission Valley East Trolley extension.
The reinvention of San Diego’s commute isn’t a revolution that will make most people forsake their cars. It’s a gradual, perceptible change in the attitudes many people have toward transportation. We’ve reached a point where people no longer blindly believe that driving to work by themselves is the quickest, cheapest or most convenient way to go. This awareness won’t change everyone's behavior, but it will help bridge the gap between our current, congested reality and the vision of what we hope San Diego can become in the future.
Leon Williams is chairman of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit Development Board, a position he has held since January 1994. He spent three decades in public service, retiring from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in January 1995.
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