By Megan Burks
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From the 1930s to the 1950s, development in City Heights fanned out from thoroughfares designed for car-bound passersby. These thick boulevards ushered drivers east and west before Interstate-8 was built, leaving a legacy of old car lots, auto-repair shops and convenience stores. This car-centric development also meant many crosswalks and sidewalks in the area were afterthoughts.
After suburbanites and their sedans left, low-income families-many without cars-moved in. As the number of car-less families has increased, it seems so too has the number of pedestrian accidents. Today, local nonprofits and redevelopment groups are working to reclaim the streets for pedestrians.
[Watch a video explaining City Heights streets and the problems they pose for pedestrians.]
[See old photos and learn about the history of El Cajon Boulevard at theboulevard.org.]
New Colina Park Crosswalk Improves Pedestrian Safety
One of the most dangerous areas is Colina Park. There were 20 pedestrian accidents in the four blocks surrounding University Avenue and 50th Street between 2005 and 2010.
According to Adrian Florido of Speak City Heights partner voiceofsandiego.org, there are many reasons: “Fast drivers. An absence of crosswalks. The curve of the road and the hilly topography that make it hard for drivers and pedestrians crossing the street to see each other. And a high volume of people crossing midblock to get to nearby markets and mosques.”
Florido was there when the city’s transportation department sprayed a bright white crosswalk across the intersection. It also posted signs and eliminated parking to increase pedestrian safety.
Teaching Residents to Fight for Safe Streets
The new crosswalk came after the City Heights Community Development Corporation and the Built Environment Team, made up of the International Rescue Committee, Environmental Health Coalition and Proyecto de Casas Saludables, pressed the city for changes.
The group is planning an academy in February that will teach residents how to do similar work.
Market Revives Concern About Dangerous Crossing
An intersection they’re likely to focus on is University Avenue at 54th Street. Between 2000 and 2010, there were 77 crashes there thanks to right turn lanes that allow drivers to maintain their speed while turning.
The new Northgate Gonzales Supermarket has increased the number of pedestrians crossing there, renewing concern about the dangerous intersection.
Fairmount Residents Audit Streets, Sidewalks
Crosswalks aren’t the only concern when it comes to streets in City Heights. A group of Fairmount residents working with the Consensus Organizing Center at San Diego State University identified poor lighting, dark alleys, graffiti and trash as hindrances to walking in City Heights.
New Park Could Improve Safety for Skaters, Pedestrians
The Fairmount residents also said skaters posed problems for pedestrians. With no designated park, skaters often use sidewalks and walkways around the Urban Village at Fairmount Avenue and Wightman Street.
The group called for a skate park this summer to improve safety for skaters and residents alike. They got their wish.
Last week the City Heights Recreation Council approved plans for the Central Avenue Mini Park that leaves space for a skate park. The approval came after skaters, adult residents and the Mid-City CAN Youth Council spent the summer advocating for a skate spot.
“I think this is a first step for our young people to see what the community-development process is all about and how you have to fight for what you want,” Mark Tran, a youth community organizer for Mid-City CAN, told the Union-Tribune. “It takes engagement. It takes participation. It takes getting off the couch and having the courage to stand up and stand by what you believe in.”
[Watch a video about the skaters’ fight for a skate park.]