Built, But Cut Off: Why Carmel Valley Needs Transit
Most people think of San Diego as car-centric. But in some neighborhoods, it’s not just car-first — it’s car-only.
There’s no bus. No shuttle. No transit center. If you can’t drive, you simply can’t get around.
I’m a student who lives in Pacific Highlands Ranch, which is the eastern part of Carmel Valley. I can bike to school, the library, and one mall, but that’s it. I can’t get to the Coaster, other parts of San Diego, or even across my own community. If I want to go to the other shopping center or the other library, I need a ride. That’s true for a lot of people my age.
Even if you have an e-bike, it’s not a real solution. The roads here are wide, fast, and hilly — 45 mph six-lane arterials with only a narrow painted bike gutter on the side. It’s scary and dangerous. That’s part of why so many students ride Surrons or Talarias — unregistered electric dirt bikes which go dangerously fast and are not designed for road use. Others double or triple up on overloaded e-bikes that struggle to climb the hills. These aren’t ideal choices. It’s the only way to get around without a car.
One of my classmates has to take a privately run van to the Boys and Girls Club after school where he waits until 5:00 pm for his parents to pick him up — because there’s no safe way home. A close friend’s grandparents visited from India last year, and they only have a motorcycle license from back home. All they do is stay home and water plants or clean the house because there is no way for them to get to a store or park — even though those places are only a couple miles away.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
The frustrating thing is that transit was originally part of the plan. The Pacific Highlands Ranch Community Plan called for “a variety of housing types and affordability ranges supported by a mixture of commercial and employment uses that are accessible by transit, bicycle, and foot.” You can still see places where the sidewalk widens and curbs that look like they were designed for bus stops. There is even one spot where a bus stop pole was put in place. But that option was never built. Now the neighborhood is almost done growing, but still has no public option for getting around.
This blog is my way of starting the conversation. I’ll be posting more about what’s missing, why it matters, and how even a why it matters, and how even a small school-time shuttle could make a real difference. I hope other students, families, and neighbors will share their stories too.
Because this community isn’t just car-dependent — it’s cut off. And it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Want to help? Sign the petition, or share this post with someone who should care.
Petition: https://chng.it/BFVWfMSH2s