SUBJECT:

Improving Pedestrian Safety on Campus

With the continued use of authorized carts, the success of UC San
Diego’s Spin Bikeshare program, and the increasing popularity of
scooters, pedestrians are sharing campus pathways with more wheeled and
micro-mobility users. Micro-mobility refers to small, manually or
electrically powered vehicles used to travel short distances. Examples
include bicycles, e-bicycles, scooters, e-scooters, one-wheels, and
skateboards.

In response to this increased shared usage and in collaboration with
campus stakeholders, Campus Planning staff has updated campus maps to
reflect bike routes which include shared, multimodal paths (updated
routes). Shared paths can accommodate pedestrian and authorized
cart/micro-mobility usage. Please review this map and know that
supporting signage reflecting these routes will be installed in the near
future to better identify shared use pathways and to highlight dismount
zones. This will allow pedestrians to better anticipate where to expect
more micro-mobility users. Further, it will identify where wheeled
traffic should occur. All authorized cart, micro-mobility users, and
pedestrians should be aware of their surroundings, especially on shared
pathways. Any person riding or operating an authorized cart or
micro-mobility device shall exercise due care (e.g., speed, safe
separation distance) and shall always yield the right of way to
pedestrians. For further information, please visit Micro-Mobility on the
Transportation Services website.

To further support the safe movement of wheeled traffic and pedestrians,
separated lanes along Hopkins Drive and on Peterson Hill were recently
installed. The recently opened Gilman Bridge facilitates improved
traffic flow incorporating expansive sidewalks and bicycle lanes.
Future plans for a pedestrian bridge that connects the Mesa Housing
Neighborhood will further improve circulation through campus. Projects
currently in design and construction will implement separated lanes
along Ridge Walk, providing a safe and attractive mobility corridor
north and south through the main campus. Similar improvements are
planned in association with the arrival of the Light Rail to the campus
anticipated in 2021.

In addition to planned physical improvements, education and outreach
efforts will be ongoing to help familiarize the campus community with
available resources, future plans, and information. Micro-mobility is a
rapidly evolving but important part of our future plans. The goal of
these ongoing efforts is to provide safe and effective circulation
through the campus. If you have questions about electric cart transit or
micro-mobility, please contact Curt Lutz in Transportation Services at
858-534-8841, jclutz@ucsd.edu.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Gary C. Matthews Vice Chancellor Resource Management & Planning