Re “Backlogs in street, sidewalk repairs soar, likely to worsen” (March 28): So we need $248 million a year to bring street maintenance in San Diego up to national standards. Here’s something to think about: An internet search on how much the city had to spend on annual public employee pension contributions showed the amount to be more than $500 million. That’s twice the amount to fix the streets, and that’s only pension contributions, not the cost of salaries and benefits of employees on the city’s bloated payroll. This is a big reason for the ongoing money grabs such as the garbage fees and Balboa Park parking fees. Consider this when election time comes around.
— Charles Riley, San Diego
It is amazing to see the poor planning of this city department. We do not have a budget to fix all pothole problems in the city. We have minefields on Clairemont Drive, Miramar Road, Mira Mesa, La Jolla and most of the city. Well, we have a large team of workers paving the streets of the Marina District, which have no potholes. Where are the priorities? Poor management!
— Victor Ravelo, Marina District
Given the staggering backlog to repair basic infrastructure like sidewalks and streetlights, it is time for the city and its funding partner, SANDAG, to reconsider the equally staggering amounts of money it costs to add new bike lanes. As an example, $44 million was reportedly budgeted for a 2.8-mile project on University Avenue! This is on top of the tens of millions of dollars spent on bike lanes since 2015.
Sidewalks and streetlights have safety implications to many more people than bike lanes, the proof being the millions being paid out to people injured by broken sidewalks. Wouldn’t a cost-benefit analysis done by the city and SANDAG make sense here in these very tight budget days? How many people are using the new bike lanes that also remove badly needed parking spaces?
— Jim Whalen, Ocean Beach