Transit Board Extends Evening Bus Service on 4 Downtown S.D. Routes

Citing greater ridership potential because of the opening of the Horton Plaza shopping center, the Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB) Thursday voted to extend evening bus service on four routes serving the center city. It is the first of a series of changes contemplated as transit officials devise strategies to serve--and profit from--the revitalized downtown area.

Beginning Dec. 9, buses on Routes 3 (from Pacific Highway to Mission Hills), 5 (linking downtown with University City), 11 (between downtown and Tierrasanta) and 16 (from downtown to the Lemon Grove city limit) will run for four additional hours, until 10 p.m.

Routes connecting Pacific Beach, Rancho Bernardo and El Cajon are being considered for similar extensions in the spring. Tom Larwin, MTDB general manager, said in a report to the board that “both MTDB and San Diego Transit staffs have agreed to investigate ways of strengthening evening service . . . (from) Horton Plaza.”

The $50,000 cost of extending the downtown bus service for the remainder of the fiscal year will be borne by San Diego Transit Corp., but directors said Thursday that outside funding will be sought for future proposals.

One option is the establishment of assessment districts through which developers would be charged fees for new downtown transit projects. Transit officials also plan to ask for contributions from the City of San Diego, Centre City Development Corp. and Horton Plaza merchants.

“With the opening of Horton Plaza,” Larwin said, “it is desirable to extend evening bus service to provide both employees and shoppers with improved transit access.” Larwin said it is advantageous to extend the hours during the Christmas shopping rush “to allow shoppers to use these transit services and help reinforce their use” and head off ever-worsening traffic and parking woes downtown.

“The biggest time of the year for this type of service will be the Christmas season,” said Roger Snoble, general manager of San Diego Transit. “If the service can begin before the big shopping push, transit will certainly be more attractive than driving in the congestion and trying to find a parking place.”

Snoble said the changing face of downtown made necessary the increased evening service. Until recently, Snoble said, “Downtown San Diego offered little attraction for night life other than to sailors. Today that is changing, and many new activities are being introduced into downtown, such as shopping, dining and theaters. These new attractions will bring people into the downtown in the evening hours in far greater numbers than we have ever seen before.”

Snoble said the need to alleviate downtown parking problems was a critical factor in the decision to extend evening service. “It provides a way for people to get to their jobs without taking up the valuable parking spaces that otherwise could be used by customers,” he said. “In addition, it opens up employment opportunities to people who would otherwise not be eligible because they have no way to get to the job.”

MTDB spokeswoman Judy Leitner said there might be changes on Route 3 because some Mission Hills residents have opposed proposals to extend the current route to evening hours, fearing that it might lead to crime or an increase in transients in their neighborhood. There were no public speakers opposing the proposal Thursday, but Leitner said Mission Hills planning groups would be consulted before the evening service is implemented.

“We’re convinced that the majority of Mission Hills residents would welcome the service,” Leitner said. “But there was concern about setting a permanent route before consulting the planning groups, given the history of opposition in the area.”