San Diego’s Bicycle Challenge

Nate Blair’s Scattante Road Bike overlooking La Jolla Shores from Mt Soledad, September 2015 (Nathan Blair)

San Diego’s growth largely took shape during the automobile era, resulting in a transportation network optimized for cars rather than people. Today, as the city seeks to expand alternative transit options, it faces the challenge of retrofitting an auto-centric grid. While San Diego has many cycling paths, lanes, and designated routes, the network remains fragmented and incomplete, which often creates conditions where bike lanes feel less safe and more difficult to navigate than riding in automobile traffic. This lack of continuity and protection directly impacts cyclist safety and discourages broader adoption.

The key question is not whether San Diego can improve its cycling network, but how it can do so while balancing existing transportation demands. With abundant sunshine, an expanding system of multi-use trails, and the rapid adoption of electric bikes, San Diego is uniquely positioned to reclaim its streets for all people and evolve into a city where bicycles complement, rather than compete with, the broader transportation ecosystem.

Getting around has always been challenging as cities have grown. The 21st-century city demands new approaches to that age-old need to safely and efficiently connect different areas of the urban landscape. Nathan Blair will offer some suggestions based on his own experiences as a cyclist and observations as an urbanist.

Nathan Blair, AIA, is a local urbanist, an architect, and an avid cyclist in San Diego.  He grew up in Colorado, went to the University of Colorado at Boulder, and received his Masters of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Nate moved to San Diego more than a decade ago and currently works for HBG Design in hospitality design. He also serves as the secretary on the board of directors for Friends of San Diego Architecture.