It’s been five years since the addition of protected bike lanes along one of North Park’s busiest streets sparked protests from residents and business owners alike.
And though a new report shows that ridership is at an all-time high, and cyclists say that they feel safer and more inclined to ride in the area, some discontent still lingers.
The 30th Street bike lanes extend from Upas Street to Adams Avenue, one of the most popular streets in the neighborhood. Ridership more than doubled after their installation in 2021, jumping from 50,000 to 114,000 riders, according to the San Diego County Bike Coalition.
This number has continued to grow, reaching a record 130,000 riders in 2025 – a 6.9% increase from 2024.
While growth may be subtle for the 30th Street lanes, Ian Hembree, the coalition’s advocacy and community manager, said that last month locals saw the “highest ridership weekend in the history of the bike lane,” with 1,173 riders recorded between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.
The bike coalition’s report isn’t the only one to show a steady increase in North Park ridership. SANDAG’s 2024 State of Commuter report backs it up.
The 30th Street lanes are among more than 283 miles of local bikeways built by SANDAG, Caltrans and/or local agencies since 2016. The ones in North Park are outperforming some lanes installed around the same time – but falling short of the numbers drawn by others.
SANDAG recorded 100,873 bike rides in the 30th Street lanes for 2024. The Fourth and Fifth Avenue lanes – opened in 2021 – had 85,541 recorded bike riders. The Landis Street bike lanes – opened in 2022 – had 32,368.
Of the other more recently established lanes, the Rose Canyon Bike Path, which also opened in 2021, and the University Avenue lane, which opened in 2023, outperformed the 30th Street lanes during 2024, with 162,052 and 112,921 bike riders, respectively.
(Hembree added that the numbers listed in SANDAG’s report do not include scooter rides, which account for 15-20% of ridership in the coalition’s count of bike-lane use.)
As a bike rider himself, Hembree said that “the difference cannot be overstated to how important it is to make people feel comfortable riding, and the way that the protected bike lane does that.”
Kathy Lewis and Cathy Boe – who describe themselves as frequent cyclists – said that they feel “much safer” riding down the busy corridor now, and have found themselves biking the central street more often.
“We were just making plans to meet friends, and we knew that if we came down 30th we could all safely get here,” Boe said.
The initial construction of the bike lanes required the removal of over 400 parking spaces, which became a primary concern for many residents and business owners. A lawsuit was filed against the city by the now disbanded group “Save 30th Street,” but was dismissed in 2022.
“I think there are a lot of people who are still vehemently opposed to the bike lanes,” Lewis said. “They think they’re stupid; they think they’re a waste of money; they don’t think they get used, all of which I would disagree with, because I am on a bike and they’re obviously not.”
While some parking was reinstated, some say that it is still not enough.
“That’s one of the biggest complaints we get,” said Sergio Guzman, a manager at Crazee Burger. “Parking is horrible here.”
He said that the bike lanes have been “counterproductive” to what they were originally installed for, and that business has decreased for the burger joint since their addition. “Now, it’s pretty much strictly locals that come in regularly.”
Crazee Burger is not the only local storefront where owners or employees blame the bike lanes for a loss of business. Liz Saba, owner of Presley & Co. Fine Jewelers, said that she has had to reduce her store hours due to diminished clientele. She said the losses are due to the elimination of parking spots.
“We’ve been okay because we are a destination and our customers, from word-of-mouth, have been able to find us. But our walk-by traffic that we had prior to the bike lanes is non-existent.”
Business owners said that less parking means fewer customers, but bike advocates claim that an increase in cyclists does not equate to a reduction in clientele.
“When bicyclists ride in an area, you know, they have to park their bikes, and they become road users,” Humbree said. “They become the foot traffic that businesses need also.”
It’s not just the loss of patronage that has concerned business owners. Some also said that the bike lanes have reduced accessibility, such as eliminating disabled parking spots and loading zones.
Riahannon Valdez, a Presley & Co. employee, said that there is only one designated disabled parking spot for all businesses on the corner of 30th Street and Upas Street.
“I have a disabled son who’s in a wheelchair,” Valdez said. “There’s no (disabled) parking.” With the loss of parking spaces, she added, cars often park illegally in the bike lanes, blocking accessible routes for her and her son to use.
Valdez was not the only one concerned about vehicles obstructing access. Ashley Villatuya, co-owner of “joon” – a gift shop that opened in 2024 – said that delivery trucks often have to park in the bike lanes to unload merchandise, which has caused confrontations between cyclists and drivers.
“We don’t want to block the bike lane, but, you know, we do have a lot of big packages that we have to bring into the store. Or when we bring in fixtures and everything, we do have to block the bike lane,” she said. “So, it does make coming in and out difficult.”
“I support having lanes for the bikers, and love that it’s better for the environment and keeps them safe,” Villatuya said. But she said that she wishes there was a “better solution” to the reduction in parking and loading zones for businesses.
Edgar Ramirez, communications chair for the North Park Planning Committee, said that while “there is still room for improvement,” the addition of the bike lanes has made North Park “a more welcoming environment overall.” He said that fewer people driving cars leads to less noise, traffic and emissions.
“Over time, I think we can see that the 30th bike lane has been a pretty big success for our community, especially one for increasing mobility options.”
While parking still remains a concern, proponents of the bike lanes have said that having more transportation options benefits the community. That’s not to mention how they protect the safety of cyclists and other micromobility device users, such as scooter riders or skateboarders.
“We hope that this sets an example that, as areas in San Diego rapidly change due to community plan updates, people see that protected bike lanes serve to make a community more livable and allow people also to get out of their cars and experience their city in a new way,” Humbree said.
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