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New bike lanes in Rancho Pensaquitos cause concern

City officials say the project isn't complete.

SAN DIEGO — All week, CBS 8 has been covering the problematic rollout of new bike lanes in Mira Mesa and viewers from all over the city are contacting us about questionable roads in their neighborhoods. 

CBS 8 received an email about the new bike lanes in Rancho Penasquitos on Azuaga Street and because we’re working for you, we went to check them out in person.

We found the bike lanes with two lanes for bikes heading in opposite directions on one side of the street. 

On Wednesday, April 6, we noticed a lot of cars parked in those bike lanes causing a bit of trouble for bicyclists who then, had to leave the bike lane to continue to ride. 

Also of note, Azuaga Street has a sizable hill. That combined with bicyclists avoiding cars parked in the bike lanes can make for a confusing trip.

We met Kara while we were out viewing the area. She rides her Eliptigo on Azuaga Street regularly. 

"It is freaky because what if there's a biker in front of you? Or a car? You have to watch out for two things," said Kara. 

She says she’s excited about the new dedicated bike lanes but admits it can be problematic. 

"You don't see the cars. They come out of nowhere. You either have to move and adjust quickly or stop quickly," said Kara. "It obviously disrupts your ride but it's also a danger because the cars behind your aren't expecting you to dodge out in front of them either."

That's one of the many issues that our CBS 8 viewer Mike complained about in his email to us. 

While we were talking to others in the area, we met a walker named Rell who shared, that there's a handful of issues bicyclists and others who use the road would like us to get to the bottom of. 

"I have to look behind me and make sure no one is behind me and go into the lane with the traffic," said Rell. "I used to just cross the street because there were no cars over there. Obviously, very dangerous. especially with these bikes because they're so high off the ground,"

When it comes to parking in the bike lanes, we went right to the source to get some answers. 

CBS 8 reached out to the city of San Diego and they said this bike lane project isn't finished. 

The city still has to add separating bollards to protect the bike lane. 

Kara says, she hopes that works. 

"If there's spaces, people are still going to park here," said Kara. "Especially if the curb isn't red or there's a no parking sign,"

City officials told CBS 8 that the bike lane project on Azuaga Street in Rancho Pensaquitos will be fully complete, with separating bollards – the week of April 10, given that they are delivered on time.

As we continued working on the story, residents who live near Azuaga Street inquired about additional parking they’d like to see in the area. 

Because as one resident pointed out, the cars who are parking in the bike lanes will need to find somewhere to go. CBS 8 reached out to the city with that question and are still waiting to hear back.

WATCH RELATED: Confusion over the new shared traffic lane concept in Point Loma (April 2022)



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