Executive Director's Column Spring 2002

County Initiates Visionary Regional Trails Plan

By Dick Bobertz, Executive Director

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors gave us all a New Year’s present at their first meeting of the New Year. They unanimously approved goals and guidelines for a comprehensive effort to establish a regional trails system. The draft program proposes developing trails for hiking, biking and equestrian uses on a regional basis and coordinating regional trail segments with other public agencies and cities. The plan was put on track to be adopted as part of the Public Facilities Element of General Plan 2020.

Why is this so important? Because, believe it or not, there is no current government plan to coordinate the provision of a regional trail system – not in the County and not in the City of San Diego. Yes, various trail segments are being constructed in both jurisdictions largely as requirements of individual developments. But, no one is charged with the responsibility to see that these segments are connected to form a regional system.

The draft Goals and Policies recently approved by the County Board of Supervisors and a preceding Trails System Assessment were expertly authored by Bob Christopher, the project lead in the Department of Public Works. You can review the reports and trails map on the Internet at www.sdcdpw.org/trails. Next, the Department will produce a plan for implementing the system with estimated costs for administration, acquisition, construction, design criteria, operations, maintenance and funding sources. A community trails plan will accompany the regional plan and be coordinated with it. These reports are scheduled for Board consideration in September 2002 and the Regional Trails Plan for inclusion in General Plan 2020 in February 2003.

The County’s draft regional trail map includes four trails extending across the County from east to west including: The San Dieguito River Park Coast to Crest Trail, the Trans-County Trail, the California Riding and Hiking Trail, and the Otay Valley Regional Park Trail. I am sure that Mayor Murphy’s recently announced goal for a San Diego River Corridor Trail will be added to the map. That will make five east-west regional trails across the County, all connecting to the north-south Pacific Crest Trail on the east and the ocean on the west.

I admit to being an optimist, but it seems obvious to me that the next step will be to provide north-south links at various points along these trails to establish a grid of regional trails overlaying the entire County. If such a system can be established people will actually be provided with a practical alternative to automobiles. How many people would choose a 30 minute bicycle ride that is completely separated from traffic over a similar time spent in a car in congested traffic? How many people will take advantage of an accessible regional trail grid for mental and physical health benefits? How much will San Diego’s quality of life improve? Let’s find out.

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