introducing the quickway proposal - a vision for a world-class transit system for san diego
TRANSCRIPT
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 1© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning.
INTRODUCING THE
Quickway Proposal
A CITIZEN-BASED INITIATIVE FOR A
FASTER & MORE EFFECTIVE RAPID
TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR SAN DIEGO
for the Scripps Ranch/Miramar Ranch North Traffic Reduction Project
Produced by Alan Hoffman at:
+1 (619) 232-1776
UPDATED 24 APRIL 2017
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 2
What’s the problem?
Abandon Hope
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 3
1. The Trolley is not attracting large numbers of people from their cars.
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
City Bus
(25%)
0% 1995 2003
% of Trolley Riders Who “Had an Auto Available” for Their Trip
2009
Source: SANDAG
Why?1. Trolley trips still take too long.
2. Stations are often not conveniently located.
3. The overall customer experience is lacking.
Despite four new segments added to our Trolley system, it still doesn’t attract a larger share of “choice” riders.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 4
2. The Trolley is not attracting the middle-income market.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Below
$15k
$15k -
<$25k
$25k -
<$50k
$50k -
<$75k
$75k -
<$100k
$100k
and Up
MTSBus
TrolleyCommuter
RailFreeway
Bus
Source: SANDAG, “Results of the 2009 Onboard Transit Passenger Survey for the San Diego Region,” (February, 2011).
The San Diego Trolley (light rail) attracts the identical low-income market of the MTS Bus.
Household
Income
The Trolley attracts the same demographic as
the MTS bus. Only 20% of riders come
from households earning over $50k/yr.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 5
3. Too many land uses are not well-served.
¼ Mile Radius around Trolley
Station
Office Employment
Mission ValleyMission Valley is one of
the region’s largest office markets… yet
most office jobs aren’t within walking distance
of a Trolley station!
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 6
4. The RTP fails to meet the City’s Climate Action Plan targets…or the Governor’s 2050 targets
Our Regional Transportation Plan
fails to reduce Greenhouse Gas
Emissions enough to meet 2050 targets.
7San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
If we’re serious about:Climate change (greenhouse gas impacts)
Traffic congestion
Quality of life
Better managing and directing growth & development
Then we need a transit system that’s:Significantly faster
Better located
More direct
With a better customer experience
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 8
What’s the solution?Better located & configured
stations
A regional Quickway
infrastructure
A regional MetroXpress
network
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 9
An effective transit system doesn’t begin with extending trolley or bus lines.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 10
It begins with locating stations—the points around which we will grow
and develop as a region.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 11
We want to minimize the number of people waiting by the side of the road…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 12
Station
Station
…and maximize the number that live within walking distance of a true rapid transit station…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 13
2-MileRadius
…or within a short drive of a suburban park-and-ride station.
Source: 2010 US Census population distribution
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 14
What should stations be like? We want better protection from the elements...
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 15
...whether it’s the occasional rain…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 16
SHADE
...the hot sun…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 17
...or the wind.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 18
And if you’re with small children, you shouldn’t have to worry about them running
or falling into the path of a vehicle.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 19
So we like stations that feel like real stations, with live information announcing arrivals, full overhead protection from sun and rain, and sliding glass doors that
match up to the doors on the transit vehicle. Regardless of mode—rail or bus—you should have the same consistent experience. Mode shouldn’t matter.
1 2 3 4
Waiting for vehicle
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 20
So we like stations that feel like real stations, with live information announcing arrivals, full overhead protection from sun and rain, and sliding glass doors that
match up to the doors on the transit vehicle. Regardless of mode—rail or bus—you should have the same consistent experience. Mode shouldn’t matter.
1 2 3 4
Vehicle arrives
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 21
So we like stations that feel like real stations, with live information announcing arrivals, full overhead protection from sun and rain, and sliding glass doors that
match up to the doors on the transit vehicle. Regardless of mode—rail or bus—you should have the same consistent experience. Mode shouldn’t matter.
1 2 3 4
Board vehicle
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 22
So we like stations that feel like real stations, with live information announcing arrivals, full overhead protection from sun and rain, and sliding glass doors that
match up to the doors on the transit vehicle. Regardless of mode—rail or bus—you should have the same consistent experience. Mode shouldn’t matter.
1 2 3 4
Vehicle departs
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 23
Johannesburg, South Africa
Transit stations around the world protect people from sun, wind,
rain, and moving vehicles.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 24
Caen, France
Transit stations around the world protect people from sun, wind,
rain, and moving vehicles.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 25
Bogotá, Colombia
Transit stations around the world protect people from sun, wind,
rain, and moving vehicles.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 26© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Proposed Rapid Transit Stations
Stations belong at the hearts of
our neighborhoods. So that’s where
we located them.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 27
Regional Commuting Patterns
Downtown Greater Golden Triangle Palomar Airport Rd
How should these stations be linked up? We tried to match
origins with likely destinations.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 28© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Ideal Transit Network…
Needless to say, a spaghetti web of connections is difficult to operate...
San Diego Quickway Proposal 29© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
…but we were able to condense these down so that they took advantage of a manageable set of corridors.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 30
But we still had two key problems left to solve.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 31
How can we make transit faster? People don’t want to stop at every stop between their homes and their destinations—that can take forever.
“All Stops”
Express
Travel Time: “All Stops” vs. Express Service
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 32
“Rapid” Bus?
MTS #1 Bus: 30 mins.
Rapid Bus: 26 mins.
Time Savings: 4 mins. (13%)
Distance: 5.2 miles
Source: Google Maps Transit Trip Planner,
In-vehicle time only for 8 am departure
on Thursday, March 26, 2015
DEPART COLLEGE & EL CAJON
BLVDARRIVE PARK BLVD AT
UNIVERSITY AVE
And much as we appreciate the new Rapid Bus lines, their average arterial speed of just 15 mph—or, for this stretch, 12
mph—isn’t really rapid. We need faster… a lot faster.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 33
Every
5 minutes
saved in a one-way
commute
One full work week
40 hoursof time
every year!
In fact, every 5 minutes we can shave off a person’s one-way commute saves them one full work-week of their time every year—time they could better spend
working, relaxing, or parenting their kids. This, by the way, is an environmental justice issue.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 34San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman
Our solution was to overlay an express network on top of an “all-stops” network.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 35San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman
And by having these express routes crisscross at a strategically located set of “SuperStations”…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 36
Leapfrogging the Region
…you can now leapfrog from most
likely origins to most likely destinations with a single station-based
transfer.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 37
The “Last Mile” Challenge
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman
1/4 Mile (5 min. walk): Effective walking distance from home.
1/2 Mile (10 min. walk): Outer bound for walking.
1 Mile (20 min. walk): The great challenge.
TRANSIT STATION
The second key problem was how to extend transit the
“last mile” for many more people.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 38
Mission Valley
¼ Mile Radius around Trolley
Station
Take Mission Valley, our second largest office market, for
example, where most offices are beyond a 5-minute walk of
a trolley station.
Office Employment
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 39
We came up with two solutions to the “last
mile” problem.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 40
Last Mile: “Jumping the Tracks”
STATION
STATION
First, we could take our express network and have these vehicles “jump the track,” as it were, to travel down major arterials not directly served by a station. By doing that, we vastly extended
the reach of rapid transit.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 41
Streetcars
We also propose an extensive network of streetcar lines
targeting dense, active corridors in highly urbanized core zones,
well-integrated with our proposed station network.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 42
“Total Transit”
Second, we came up with the concept of “Total Transit,” a set of
additional services customers could add to their monthly transit pass.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 43
The “Total Transit” Concept
2. Guaranteed Parking Space at Local Transit Center
1. Neighborhood Car
3. Full Use of Transit
4. Insurance on Car
For a fixed monthly price, riders would receive a small Neighborhood Electric Vehicle which would be theirs alone to use. They could take care of their local
needs like shopping in addition to accessing and using the transit network.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 44
It’s worth noting that the diminutive vehicle size means
that we could provide structured parking for these vehicles at a cost
comparable to surface parking for normal-sized cars.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 45
The point is, we want to make it so that a person or family could meet a wide range of needs entirely through their transit pass, so that families don’t
need to buy that 3rd or 4th car.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 46
Notice that up to now we haven’t said much about mode. That’s because we believe the choice of
mode should be driven by the kind of network you need to deploy to meet your strategic goals.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 47
All-Stops “Trolley-Like” Service
Regional Express Service
One Infrastructure = Lower Cost!
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2015 by Alan Hoffman
In the case of San Diego, if our strategic objective is to create a full network within twenty years, with both all-stops and express routes
on the same transit infrastructure…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 48
…then we need to begin with a rubber-tired but trolley-like system at its core.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 49
Brisbane: The Quickway Model
“Brisbane is now at the leading edge in urban mass transit… the new busway… will attract international attention for the level of quality and customer focus that [has been] incorporated.”
— Hans Rat, Secretary General International Public Transport Association (IUTP)
We hired the planners behind Brisbane, Australia’s, highly
successful Quickway system, an example of
Global Best Practices in a city not unlike San Diego.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 50
Brisbane pioneered the Quickway concept—grade-separated
busways that allow both All-Stops and Express services to share the
same infrastructure.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 51
Grade separation means no cross traffic, leading to faster and more reliable travel times. Tunnels and
flyovers let transit avoid congestion and place stations in
optimal locations.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 52
Quickways feature true rapid transit stations with passing
lanes for express routes.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 53
Quickways make express transit economically viable by radically reducing travel time—a point missed even by other
transit planning experts.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 54
Brisbane’s first Quickway, the
Southeast Busway, now
routinely moves over 20,000
passengers at the peak hour in the peak
location in the peak direction—
about 7 ½ times the
volume moved by our Trolley system at its busiest point.
Peak Ridership
Southeast Busway (2-lane)
SDTrolley
20,000+ 2,700
at the Busiest Spotduring the Busiest Hourin the Peak Direction
Peak HourPeak LocationPeak Direction
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 55
140%
120%
160%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%2003 2009
+ 60%
Brisbane: Ridership Growth
2008 Ridership:
Rail: 60 million
Busway: 50 million
2010 Ridership:
Busway: 72 million
Even with a robust electrified commuter rail system, Brisbane’s 13 miles of
Quickways produced a 60% increase in transit ridership in just six-years.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 56
Future-Proofing
And Quickways can be designed for conversion to rail when
demand warrants, such as this example from Seattle.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 57
Our point isn’t to sing the praises of Quickways, or to denigrate other modes; rather, it is to say that by supporting a far faster
express network fully integrated into the rest of the transit system, Quickways can shape our future growth in a way that
would be cost-prohibitive with other modes.
58San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Long-Term Evolution
Quickway segment & station
(Underground)
Quickway segment & station
(Underground)
With Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time, and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.
59San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Uncongested roadwayQuickway segment & station Quickway segment & station
Long-Term EvolutionWith Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time,
and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.
60San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Quickway segment & station Quickway segment & station
Long-Term EvolutionWith Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time,
and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.
61San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Quickway segment & station Quickway segment & station
Long-Term EvolutionWith Quickways, you build pieces where you need them, connect them over time,
and then upconvert them to rail or some similar automated, self-guided technology.
62San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
What are we proposing?
San Diego Quickway Proposal 63© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Regional Quickway System
Quickway(Grade-Separated
Transitway)
Heavy RailLight RailQuickway
So what we propose is a 92-mile Quickway network targeting the densest heart of our region.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 64© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
New Streetcar & Light Rail
Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar
We also proposed over 60 miles of new rail lines. Our plan is clearly not “anti-rail”; it’s “right rail.”
San Diego Quickway Proposal 65© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Surface (At-Grade) Busways
T-Way(At Grade Busway)
Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar
At-Grade Busway
An additional 50 miles of surface treatments together make the system work.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 66© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Freeway Lanes(HOV, Shoulder, or Managed)
Freeway Lanes
Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar
At-Grade BuswayFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway Lanes
And while we take advantage of freeway managed lanes and HOV lanes in places…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 67
Transit = FAIL!
When the freeway is blocked:
…freeways are no substitute for a better-located and more reliable infrastructure.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 68© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Scalability
ElevatedSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceSurfaceTunnel
HILLCREST TUNNEL
HOTEL CIRCLE
FLYOVER
HILLCREST CENTRAL
UCSD HILLCREST
HOTEL CIRCLE
FASHION VALLEY
A Quickway system doesn’t have to be built all at once. We can begin by building key pieces, like the Hillcrest Tunnel and Hotel
Circle Flyover, and use surface bus lanes to link to downtown…
San Diego Quickway Proposal 69© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Scalability
…and then overlay other routes that use existing arterials.
Existing “Rapid Bus” Route
New “Rapid Bus” Route Overlayed on
Existing Route
New “Rapid
Bus” Route
New “Rapid
Bus” Route
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 70
Cowles Mtn Station, Navajo Rd
In other places, we can build short dedicated transit sections, like this
concept for a Cowles Mountain station on Navajo Road. Once the network is in place, new pieces can be constructed to reduce
travel time, avoid congestion, and meet capacity demands.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 71
Another big advantage of a Quickway network is its flexibility. In the future, we could deploy automated vehicles to increase frequencies,
shorten wait times, and cost-effectively serve more destinations.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 72
We might convert some corridors to rail as ridership and movement patterns warrant. None of our options are excluded, and our children will thank us for
developing so flexible an approach to meeting future needs.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 73
Needless to say, for Quickways to target our densest zones, they will
need to travel underground in places and on elevated structures in
others, much like the Trolley by SDSU. Even so, our costs are not out of
line, as we’ll get to soon.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 74
www.quickwayproposal.wix.com/proposal
www.quickwayproposal.wix.com/proposal
This presentation will showcase only a few elements of the Quickway Proposal. For a more comprehensive
view, please see the reports and detailed presentations on our project website.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 75© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
The Quickway Proposal
Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar
At-Grade BuswayFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway Lanes
1
4
5
2
3
6
We’ll start in the urban core.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 76© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Bus volumes justify expense of grade
separation, which in turn makes transit faster, cheaper to
operate, and attract more riders.
Tunnel
Within the Urban Core, we propose a mostly underground
Quickway infrastructure, essentially a bus subway modeled on Brisbane’s.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 77
1. Total system cost is still less than current plans.
2. Major reduction in vehicle operating costs.
3. Avoids congestion in most congested areas.
4. Can be combined with water main and sewage system upgrades, saving billions of harder-to-get dollars.
5. Better supports smart growth in areas with strong market demand.
Why so many tunnels?
San Diego Quickway Proposal 78© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Brisbane’s downtown “bus subway” features underground
stations that separate passengers from vehicles.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 79© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Bus volumes justify expense of grade
separation, which in turn makes transit faster, cheaper to
operate, and attract more riders.
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
Surface and elevated sections complement tunnel sections—
together, they create a spine well-located to support future growth.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 80
TROLLEY RIDERSHIP
QUICKWAY RIDERSHIP
COASTER RIDERSHIP
Source:
Modeling of ridership using 2006 trip data
Projected ridership is several times that of the Trolley, with
many, many more redevelopment opportunities.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 81© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Gaslamp/Convention Ctr
Gaslamp Central
Horton Plaza
Laurel
Fashion Valley
Sharp Hospitals
Uptown District
HillcrestCentral
Santa Fe
Old Town
Linda Vista/Morena
PB Central
Boulevard
City Heights
12th & Imperial
North Park
Airport East
Airport West
SuperStations serve both all-stops routes and our proposed
MetroXpress network.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 82© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Horton Plaza
Fashion Valley
Santa Fe
Old Town
Linda Vista/Morena
PB Central
Gaslamp/Convention Ctr
Laurel
Sharp Hospitals
HillcrestCentral
Boulevard
Gaslamp Central
City Heights
MetroXpress
Airport East
Airport West
Uptown District
North Park
MetroXpress routes branch out to serve major
arterials, giving people easy access to the Quickway network.
83San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
SUPERSTATION
LOCAL STATION
QUICKWAY TROLLEY
LEGEND
How MetroXpress Routes Work
1. Route departs.
1
SANTA FEHORTON
PLAZA
LAUREL/ BALBOA
PK
HILLCREST CENTER
OLD TOWN
HOTEL CIRCLE
UCSD HILLCREST
UPAS
CORTEZ
UPTOWN DISTRICT
MetroXpress routes are at the heart of the Quickway
Proposal.
84San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
SUPERSTATION
LOCAL STATION
QUICKWAY TROLLEY
LEGEND
How MetroXpress Routes Work
1. Route departs.
2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.2
SANTA FEHORTON
PLAZA
LAUREL/ BALBOA
PK
HILLCREST CENTER
OLD TOWN UCSD HILLCREST
UPAS
CORTEZ
UPTOWN DISTRICT
In the case of the proposed F60 (Santa Fe Express), riders would
reach the Hillcrest Center SuperStation completely
free of traffic and stopping just twice.
HOTEL CIRCLE
85San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
SUPERSTATION
LOCAL STATION
QUICKWAY TROLLEY
LEGEND
How MetroXpress Routes Work
1. Route departs.
2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.
3. Route leaves Quickway and serves a community, stopping at local stops.
3
SANTA FEHORTON
PLAZA
LAUREL/ BALBOA
PK
HILLCREST CENTER
OLD TOWN UCSD HILLCREST
UPAS
CORTEZ
UPTOWN DISTRICT
When traveling along arterials, MetroXpress
routes can either operate as nonstop, limited stop, or all-stop, depending on
circumstances.
HOTEL CIRCLE
86San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
SUPERSTATION
LOCAL STATION
QUICKWAY TROLLEY
LEGEND
How MetroXpress Routes Work
1. Route departs.
2. Route travels along Quickways, bypassing local stations and stopping only at SuperStations.
3. Route leaves Quickway and serves a community, stopping at local stops.
4. Route re-enters Quickway and ends at SuperStation.
SANTA FEHORTON
PLAZA
LAUREL/ BALBOA
PK
HILLCREST CENTER
OLD TOWN UCSD HILLCREST
UPAS
CORTEZ
UPTOWN DISTRICT
The flexibility of Quickways allows for all of the benefits of fixed infrastructure while still
allowing the route network to evolve with
future needs.
HOTEL CIRCLE4
San Diego Quickway Proposal 87© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Horton Plaza
Fashion Valley
Santa Fe
Old Town
Linda Vista/Morena
Gaslamp/Convention Ctr
Laurel
Sharp Hospitals
HillcrestCentral
Boulevard
Gaslamp Central
City Heights
PB Central
Airport East
Airport West
Uptown District
North Park
In addition, an extensive series of streetcar routes would extend the reach of fixed infrastructure
transit.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 88© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Horton Plaza
Fashion Valley
Santa Fe
Old Town
Linda Vista/Morena
Gaslamp/Convention Ctr
Laurel
Sharp Hospitals
HillcrestCentral
Boulevard
Gaslamp Central
City Heights
PB Central
Airport East
Airport West
Uptown District
North Park
One-Seat Ride to Balboa Park!
One of these streetcars—perhaps an historic one—
would connect the underground Laurel/Balboa Park SuperStation—a one-seat ride from any station pictured here—with the
Plaza de Panama, the heart of Balboa Park.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 89
Routes directlyserving the Balboa
Park (Laurel Street) Station
Fun’n’Sun tourist route
One-Seat Ride to Balboa Park!
Core or MetroXpressService (in Express mode)
MetroXpress in local mode
Many residents & visitors will have a
fast, direct, one-seat ride to Balboa Park
All of the depicted routes directly serve the
Laurel/Balboa Park SuperStation, massively
amplifying access.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 90© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
The City of San Diego needs to rehabilitate old water and sewer lines. That project can be combined with the
proposed Quickway tunnels, substantially slashing the costs of the reconstruction and using transportation dollars—which
are easier to come by—to help significantly reduce the costs of our other
infrastructure needs.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 91© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
SeaWorldFlyover
Fun’n’Sun LineUTC
UTC WestUCSD CentralLibrary Walk
Mandell WeissBirch AquariumOceanographyLa Jolla ShoresAvenida de la
PlayaArdath
ProspectLa Jolla Cove
Children’s PoolContemporary
Marine StWindanseaBird Rock
ColimaTurquoise
Crystal PierGrand AvePB Drive
Santa ClaraEl Carmel
Belmont ParkBahia
QuiviraSea World
GrotonSports Arena
Riley
Old TownPresidio Hanalei
HandleryTown & CountryFashion Valley
Hotel CircleHillcrest Center
Laurel/Balboa PkCortez
Horton PlazaGaslamp Central
Convention CtrConvention WestSeaport VillageOld Police HQ
Embarcadero SMidway
Cruise ShipsEmbarcadero NHarbor IslandAirport West
InletNimitzScott
America’s CupShelter Island
PortugalThe Wooded Area
Fort RosecransCabrillo
Monument
SeaWorld gets a flyover with an elevated station integrated into its entry plaza. This flyover is used by a proposed tourist-focused route,
the Fun’n’Sun Line, linking many of our tourist destinations with
thousands of hotel rooms, and featuring specially designed stops.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 92© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Pacific Beach
Streetcar System
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
Quickway tunnels lead into Pacific Beach and La Jolla, and a Pacific Beach Streetcar
system connects a centrally-located SuperStation with Garnet Avenue, Mission Boulevard, and Crown Point. The tunnels bypass two more of the region’s worst
traffic knots.
PB Central PB Gateway
San Diego Quickway Proposal 93© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
La Jolla/Coronado
Express
From the PB Central SuperStation, MetroXpress routes fan out in all
directions. Another such route, the La Jolla/Coronado Express, links La Jolla to down- town with just five
intervening stops. This is faster than driving.
PB Central
San Diego Quickway Proposal 94© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
Clairemont benefits from two short underground Quickway segments.
These allow us to locate stations where they can best serve residents and
businesses and avoid traffic delays.
Clairemont Town Square
Balboa & Genessee
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 95
This illustration, from Brisbane, depicts a
below-grade but open-air station planned for a
shopping center.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 96
Kearny Mesa
Kearny Mesa is served by both Quickway and surface transitway (T-Way) infrastructure,
placing most destinations within
walking distance of a rapid transit station.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 97
MetroXpress
Routes
MetroXpress routes would connect even more of the zone to
rapid transit.
Kearny Mesa
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 98
MetroXpress
Routes
Autonomous shuttles connect SuperStations with key
corridors and destinations with minimal wait times.
Kearny Mesa
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 99
MetroXpress Routes
QuickwaysThe Greater Golden
Triangle is fed by well-located Quickways. MetroXpress routes
branch off from them, getting closer to residents and businesses. Perhaps One Paseo could benefit from these connections?
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 100
LOSSANCorridor
High Speed Rail
Streetcar
We propose a new rail tunnel for the LOSSAN corridor on the east side of UTC, allowing for an ideally-located station that could also serve the future High Speed Rail line, while a new
Streetcar line replaces today’s SuperLoop with a faster and more useful route. Virtually all
major employers and many, if not most residents would now enjoy rapid access to
High Speed Rail.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 101© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Santee
Grossmont
Centerline
City Heights
SDSU
Lemon Grove
Spring Valley
College
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
Mid-City and East County benefit from
underground, surface, and elevated infrastructure.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 102© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Santee
Grossmont
Centerline
City Heights
SDSU
Lemon Grove
Spring Valley
College
MetroXpress routes branch out to serve major
arterials, giving people easy access to the Quickway network.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 103
0:10
0:20
0:30
0:40
0:10
0:20
0:30
0:40
Downtown to SDSU Lemon Grove to SDSU
Today
TodayQuickwayProposal
QuickwayProposal
These improvements could cut travel time between Downtown and SDSU from 39 minutes today to just 18 minutes in the
future—less than half the time of either the Trolley or the new Rapid Bus. Lemon Grove to SDSU, meanwhile, would be an 8
minute trip, compared to today’s 21 minutes.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 104
One of the benefits of a truly useful transit system is that it lets us dream larger about
our future.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 105
Sails to Trails
MISSION TRAILS
BALBOAPARK
For example, a decade ago Richard Louv wrote about my proposal for
Sails to Trails, a linear park linking San Diego Bay with Mission Trails Regional
Park via El Cajon Boulevard and Balboa Park.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 106
Boston
“Sails to Trails” is modeled on streets such as Commonwealth Avenue in Boston and similar streets in other cities…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 107
Berlin...like this street in Berlin…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 108
Lima, Peru...and this street in Lima…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 109
Mexico City...and this street in Mexico…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 110
New York City!…and this proposal for Park Avenue.
EXISTING
PROPOSED
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 111
Curitiba’s “Structural Corridors”
Curitiba, Brazil, adopted one of the world’s smartest growth strategies by concentrating all high density around well-located transit lines, pushing through traffic to parallel roads, and locating parks and plazas along the main corridors.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 112
Curitiba—Concentrated Density
By concentrating high densities immediately along well-located transit lines, most of the city was preserved for single-family housing and other lower-density uses.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 113
San Diego—Dispersed Density
In contrast, San Diego spread denser development widely, making it impossible to serve effectively with transit or provide near-access parks and people spaces.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 114
Sails to Trails
this thin green strip can link a series of plazas surrounding
underground Quickway stations…
MISSION TRAILS
BALBOAPARK
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 115
…shady squares that can anchor new development, support targeted retail, and function as the community living rooms for our Mid-City neighborhoods.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 116
Millennials (Generation Y), especially, want to live in such mixed-use “villages.”
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 117
These plazas, linked by the Sails to Trails Linear Park, are places that neighbors walk to.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 118
Obviously, densities, building heights, and the size of the surrounding redevelopment zone should be decided through the Community Plan Process.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 119
The Quickway Proposal, by creating a more effective transit system (faster connections to many more destinations), makes this concept
viable at a wide range of densities and building forms.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 120
Sails to TrailsThere are numerous
precedents for converting even major city streets into linear parks. Sails to Trails should tell the story of San Diego and San Diegans as it
passes through different environments and
communities.
MISSION TRAILS
BALBOAPARK
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 121
Cities all over the world are creating or have created urban linear
parks, turning streets into places for people.
SAN FRANCISCO BOGOTÁ
LONDON AUCKLAND
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 122
Barcelona’s famous Rambla has long inspired San Diego’s urban design community. With downtown set to add another 40,000
residents, this kind of amenity could prove transformative.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 123
Sails to Trails
HighlineA “Highline” for pedestrians and bicycles could bridge
over Alvarado Canyon and I-8 to make the final connection
to the Trails.
MISSION TRAILS
BALBOAPARK
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 124
These plazas can anchor new development while enhancing and restoring adjacent single-family neighborhoods damaged in the 70s and 80s
through insensitive and currently non-conforming “dumbbell” buildings.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 125
An incentive program can grant developers density bonuses for building in station areas if they replace non-conforming buildings in adjacent
neighborhoods with higher quality housing, whether detached, duplex, or row homes. An appropriate percentage of units should be made affordable.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 126
Vancouver, BC, Canada
This kind of large-scale transformation has precedents.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 127
Portland, Oregon
This kind of large-scale transformation has precedents.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 128
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
This kind of large-scale transformation has precedents.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 129
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia, successfully developed around transit while preserving existing neighborhoods. This is doable.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 130
Sønder Blvd, Copenhagen
Copenhagen took a road similar in size to El Cajon Boulevard and stripped out all but 2 through lanes, turning the entire wide middle section into a linear park.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 131
Sønder Blvd, CopenhagenSønder Blvd, Copenhagen
Copenhagen won the European Prize for Urban Public Space in 2008 for the creation of the Sønder Boulevard linear park.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 132
Sønder Blvd, Copenhagen
Despite the apparent density of the surrounding community, the linear park makes it very livable and desirable.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 133
North Park
Sails to Trails takes these lessons from both Curitiba and Copenhagen and applies them to El Cajon Boulevard.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 134© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
SpringValley
Gaslamp/Convention Ctr E
Barrio Logan
8th St
Plaza Blvd
Plaza Bonita
Terra Nova
Southwestern College
County South
San Ysidro Otay Border
Palomar
ElevatedSurfaceTunnel
The South Bay features Quickways operating mostly underground
through National City and Chula Vista as well as surface transitways.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 135© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Spring ValleyGaslamp/Convention Ctr E
Barrio Logan
8th St
Plaza Blvd
Plaza Bonita
Terra Nova Southwestern College
County South
San Ysidro Otay Border
Palomar
MetroXpress Routes branch out to serve many
of the other corridors, linking much of the South
Bay into a rapid and convenient network and
supporting economic development efforts.
The Quickway Proposal, pt. 8: North County© 2014 by The Mission Group 136136© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
ManagedLanes
Rail
Proposed Extensions to Sprinter
North County sees major improvements, too. We
recommend Sprinter extensions to get closer to residents on the east and the jobs on the west.
The Quickway Proposal, pt. 8: North County© 2014 by The Mission Group 137137© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
GradeSeparated
Road
OceansideVista
Palomar College
EscondidoTransit
Ctr
NorthCountyFair
FlowerFields
Rancho Bernardo
Palomar Airport
Poinsettia
EncinitasBlvd
Fairgrounds
CarmelGateway
Tech Ctr
UCSDCentral
UTC
A network of Quickways connects to major employment sites. We
also recommend grade-separating much of El Camino Real and all of Palomar Airport Road, turning both into free-
flowing roads .
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 138
Nimitz Boulevard in Point Loma is a local example of a grade-separated road. passing either under or
over cross-streets. This can effectively double auto
carrying capacity mostly within the existing footprint and dramatically cut both auto and transit times,
taking significant pressure off I-5 and better
supporting existing community character.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 139
Median transitways are proposed for a newly
grade-separated Palomar Airport Road
and portions of El Camino Real.
The Quickway Proposal, pt. 8: North County© 2014 by The Mission Group 140140© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
OceansideVista
Palomar College
EscondidoTransit
Ctr
NorthCountyFair
Rancho Bernardo
Palomar Airport
Poinsettia
EncinitasBlvd
Fairgrounds
CarmelGateway
Tech Ctr
UCSDCentral
UTC
FlowerFields
An integrated set of MetroXpress and shuttle
routes connects most major employment sites and tourism/shopping sites into the network.
141San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
Legoland Station (connects
rapidly to Flower Fields
SuperStation)
Pedestrian “Lego”
bridge connects to
Park entrance
Legoland Station
Even Legoland gets a special station and pedestrian bridge.
142San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
What about costs and ridership?
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 143
Estimated Capital Costs
($ Billions)
$-
$5
$10
$15
$20
QuickwayProposal
Existing2050 Plan
$14
$20
$ B
illio
ns
Our capital cost model, developed by a respected engineering firm, projected a $14 billion price tag—$6 billion less than the
transit component of our Regional Transportation Plan.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 144
Projected Operating Subsidies through 2050
($ Billions)
$11
$14
$19
$-
$5
$10
$15
$20
Quickway
Proposal:
LOW
Quickway
Proposal:
HIGH
Current
2050 Plan
$ B
illio
ns
We also projected $5-8 billion less in operating subsidies between now and 2050. Of course, these are preliminary numbers, but they are encouraging.
Quickway Proposal
Low
Quickway Proposal
High
Current 2050 Plan
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 145
If anything, these costs ignore two other sources of savings: the road projects we will no longer need to build, as transit picks up the slack…
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 146
…and the possibility that our proposal will reduce the need for families to own that third or fourth car, reducing regional demand for new parking by up to $40 billion—a hidden and
privatized cost of the existing plan.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 147
Today Existing2050Plan
Quickway Proposal
2050
500,000
1,000,000
Projected Daily RidershipOur ridership modeling shows huge
increases in ridership at close to twice as many new trips per dollar invested
than the existing plan.
San Diego Quickway Proposal© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning 148
Comparative Travel Times
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0:20
0:30
0:40
Current Transit
0:50
1:00
Quickway Proposal
When we analyzed travel time on 54
likely trip pairs, we found average
reductions of just short of 2/3, meaning
that an hour-long transit trip today
would be about 21 minutes in our
proposal—competitive with driving for many
people.
San Diego Quickway Proposal 149© 2017 by The Center for Advanced Urban Visioning
The Quickway Proposal
Heavy RailLight RailQuickwayStreetcar
At-Grade BuswayFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway LanesFreeway Lanes
So there you have the Quickway Proposal—a synthesis of Global Best Practices that is uniquely San Diego.