Two climate and transportation activists, KC Gupta and Elena Grilli, gathered outside SANDAG’s downtown office to protest the agency’s 2025 regional plan before the July 11 Board of Directors meeting.
The plan, which is updated every four years, dictates how San Diego County allocates its transportation budget, with $1.3 billion set for the current fiscal year.
Grilli, soon to attend UC Berkeley after graduating from La Jolla High School, expressed the importance of public transportation as a crucial resource for San Diegans.
She emphasized that an effective transportation system has the potential to enhance community connections and promote social equity. “A good transportation system can connect communities,” Grilli stated. “It can be a tool of equity and it can advance social justice — and a bad transportation system can entrench inequities.”
With an impending deadline for SANDAG to approve its regional plan by the end of the year, the upcoming transportation committee meeting on Friday at 9 a.m. represents the last moment for public feedback.
Gupta, who is the executive director of the People’s Platform of San Diego, mentioned plans for another rally outside SANDAG’s office at 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
According to KPBS coverage, SANDAG’s proposed regional plan is set to expand the county’s highways by adding 93 miles of managed lanes—specifically designated for carpools, buses, and toll-paying cars—and converting 259 miles of existing highway into managed lanes.
Gupta criticized the current plan, asserting that it fails to align with the priorities of young activists.
He pointed out that the plan’s proposals encompass about 300 miles of managed lanes, essentially highway expansions under the guise of lane conversions and high-occupancy vehicle lanes, stating that such actions exacerbate traffic issues.
“Our public transit system doesn’t work for youth or working riders that depend on it, and SANDAG isn’t doing enough,” Gupta remarked.
Furthermore, he highlighted the cost disparity between building new public transportation infrastructure and simply increasing the frequency of existing services like the trolley.
For example, Gupta noted that the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) estimated a cost of $4.2 million per year to achieve seven-and-a-half-minute service on the Blue Line, while the entire project was priced at about $2.1 billion.
Chris Roberts, a Carmel Valley resident and co-leader of San Diego 350’s Transportation Team, pointed out that SANDAG typically schedules infrastructure projects for future completion dates, often as far off as 2035 or 2050.
Roberts argued that while many transit efforts appeal to young activists who are less reliant on automobiles, the lengthy timelines mean that people like Grilli and Gupta will be in their 40s by the time some of these projects are completed.
Expressing her concerns, Grilli noted that many public transit initiatives, such as the planned rapid bus lanes, may take up to 25 years to finish.
She criticized the lack of secured funding for transit development, stating, “A lot of the transit funding is not yet secured. It’s relying on ballot measures that haven’t been passed yet.”
Grilli urged SANDAG to allocate available funds toward public transit improvements instead of expanding managed highways.
Recalling his own experience using public transportation in New York City, Gupta reflected on the stark differences he observed upon moving to San Diego.
He conveyed that the existing transit system is inefficient, often requiring long waiting times, which is particularly problematic for younger riders.
“We’re the riders,” Gupta articulated, pointing to high school students, college attendees, and young employees who rely heavily on public transport for their commutes.
He expressed the belief that the current SANDAG plan embodies a narrow-minded, car-centric philosophy.
Gupta concluded by stating, “There really is change that needs to be made, and small changes can have a massive difference. Changes that are less than 1% of the SANDAG budget can have a massive difference on transit riders.”
image source from：timesofsandiego
