San Diego Bike Loop is open for business!

On Tuesday morning, Andy Hanshaw, Bike Coalition Executive Director joined Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Council President Todd Gloria for the announcement of the new San Diego Bike Loop: a seven-mile network of on-street bike lanes linking downtown, Little Italy, Banker’s Hill and Balboa Park.

The Loop connects riders with many of San Diego’s top destinations, including Balboa Park, the Gaslamp, Petco Park, the Central Library, City College and the new Waterfront Park. It includes buffered bike lanes on some streets and sharrows on shared roadways. The route is marked at the beginning and end of each block with a green way-finding symbol.

“[The Loop] provides a beautiful ride for both cycling enthusiasts and casual riders,” Mayor Faulconer said. “It’s the kind of low-cost project that has a huge impact on our neighborhoods and we’re going to be doing a lot more of them in the future.”


Todd Gloria noted the success of the “road diet” on 4th and 5th Avenues that replaced a car lane with a buffered bike lane. “When I travel from my home to my office downtown, I see how well used these bike lanes are,” he said.

“Our streets are not just for cars,” Gloria went on. “They are for people. With more people choosing biking not only as a form of exercise but as a real transportation option, providing safe bikeways is a smart investment.”

Nikola Modrusan, a junior at High Tech High, was pleased with the new route. “It would be nice to have more things like this,” he said.
In his remarks, the Mayor suggested that Modrusan may not have to wait long: “We have the opportunity to do more projects like this in other neighborhoods around the city. This is just the beginning.”

Long after the news crews departed and the street returned to normal, a steady trickle of bicyclists could be seen making their way up 5th Avenue in the buffered lanes.