Jackson Drive

The proponents of the Park and Wildlife Initiative have conceded defeat in their efforts to gain sufficient signatures to qualify their initiative for the ballot. It seems that their assessment of the overwhelming public opposition to Jackson Drive that would fuel their efforts was wrong. Citizens for Jackson Drive tried to tell them that last fall, but it was a message the opponents stubbornly refused to hear.

The fact is that the citizens of San Diego, and the 7th Council District in particular, want traffic solutions. The public isn’t swallowing the all-or-nothing arguments of militant environmentalists. We can balance transportation with environmental goals. All it takes is honest citizens working within the process to reach a consensus, not taking to the streets when you don’t get your own way.

The opponents of Jackson Drive underestimated the strength and credibility of more than 15 years of community-based planning that led to the Mission Trails Parkway/Jackson Drive project. That process never ignored our environmental goals and aggressively addressed them during roadway design.

The tragedy is that the opponents of Jackson Drive appear to have learned little from their single-minded pursuit of a non-issue. They ignored the community planning process. They lost their legislative battles. They lost in the popular political process. Now, they are employing every legal tactic to tie the Jackson Drive project up in court.

Meanwhile, the value of our transportation sales tax dollars erodes and traffic congestion builds on Mission Gorge Road and neighborhood streets in the communities of Allied Gardens, San Carlos and Del Cerro. It’s no wonder that taxpayers growl over new taxes. They haven’t seen the benefit of the last round of taxes.

JUDY McCARTY

Council Member

District 7