SAN DIEGO, October 21, 2021 - Today, Climate Action Campaign (CAC) unveiled a new report—Missing the Mark: City Must Double Down on Bike/Walk/Transit Targets in Climate Action Plan. This report compares the City of San Diego’s 2015 Climate Action Plan mode shift targets with the mode shift projections for the buildout of SANDAG’s 2021 Regional Plan, each for the year 2035, in Transit Priority Areas.

San Diego’s groundbreaking 2015 Climate Action Plan (CAP) calls for 50% of commutes in areas near major transit stops to be taken by sustainable modes of transportation by 2035, with a focus on biking, walking, and transit. Without hitting these transportation targets, the City of San Diego cannot meet its legally-binding CAP targets and secure a climate-safe future.

The report shows that the San Diego Regional Association of Governments (SANDAG) 2021 Regional Transportation Plan will only achieve 27%—not 50%—of commuters taking bike, walk, and transit in City of SD Transit Priority Areas by 2035, leaving a 23% gap. As the report demonstrates, it is mathematically impossible for the City to achieve its climate goals by relying solely on SANDAG’s Plan. Unless the City and SANDAG take significant action beyond the proposed 2021 Regional Transportation Plan, the CAP's targets will not be achieved.

“Our newest report should serve as a reality check and crucial data point for local electeds and government agencies. SANDAG’s 2021 Regional Plan is a critical down payment towards San Diego’s equitable, climate-ready transportation future. To close the gap between SANDAG’s Plan and the CAP’s mode shift target, we urge the City to double down on their investments to secure bikeable, walkable neighborhoods,” said Noah Harris, Transportation Policy Advocate at Climate Action Campaign.

To address the gap, the Missing the Mark report calls for:

• The full funding, acceleration, and implementation of the Mobility Action Plan 2.0, our roadmap to achieving the CAP mode shift targets.

• Demonstrated progress on mode shift should be meaningfully integrated in all City plans, policies, and programs in the housing, transportation, and land use sectors.