When I moved to San Diego I drastically changed the way I traveled and this shift illustrates for me how profound of an impact culture, land use, and transportation planning have on individuals’ transportation choices.
Like so many people, when I started undergraduate school at Miami University I discovered that biking was the quickest, most enjoyable, environmentally sustainable, physically and mentally invigorating way to travel. I took my adoration for biking with me after school, to Maui, Hawaii; Austin, TX; and Seattle, WA. In all of these places, I relied on biking, augmented with walking and transit, to get around.
When I moved to San Diego, however, I nearly stopped riding my bike. I still took transit and walked, but what had been such an integral part of my life, biking, caused trepidation. When I first arrived in San Diego, I mapped out multiple routes to commute to work and SDSU, where I was attending graduate school. However, I failed to find a route that I felt comfortable with. I was intimidated by the speeds and volumes of vehicles, the numerous freeways that traverse the city, and the car-oriented culture that seemed far less tolerant of bicycling then Austin or Seattle, for example. It took awhile before I gained enough confidence to bicycle consistently again.
I am again rewarded every day with the rejuvenating feeling I receive from commuting and taking my utilitarian trips via bicycle. While I rely on riding my bike for transportation and personal well-being, I understand how land use and transportation factors serve as barriers to bicycling. As a part of the Alta team, I am driven to improve the built environment and culture of communities so that people feel freer to make the transportation choices from which they will derive the greatest benefit. I also deeply motivated by the people in all of our communities who – due to financial, physical, or other personal constraints – can’t choose, but rely on walking and biking to be safe and accessible modes of transportation.
Bridget Enderle brings several years of experience in public outreach coordination and planning-related research to her work at Alta. Her skills include GIS mapping, spatial and non-spatial statistical analysis, technical writing, program and policy evaluation, and public participation planning. Prior to joining Alta, Ms. Enderle gained experience in housing and community development as a researcher and outreach planner. The breadth of her interests and experiences equip her with an understanding of the interrelationships between urban policies, culture, land uses and nonmotorized transportation planning.
Recent Projects
- San Diego (CA) Regional Bicycle Plan
In the spring of 2008, Alta initiated the first phase of developing the San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan. Ms. Enderle’s current responsibilities toward the Plan’s development include producing outreach material and coordinating with community organizations and public agencies to implement an extensive public outreach effort. She is also responsible for research and analysis used to direct the Plan’s goals, existing conditions methodologies, and project prioritization criteria. The San Diego Regional Bicycle Plan will be a component of the Regional Transportation Plan. The Plan will provide assistance to local jurisdictions in their efforts to improve and encourage bicycling and will encourage the development of a unified bicycle system throughout the San Diego region that serves the needs of all bicycle riders. - City of San Diego (CA) Pedestrian Master Plan
Ms. Enderle is involved in numerous facets of the City of San Diego Pedestrian Master Plan Phases 2 & 3 development, including facility inventorying, research, and public participation planning. Building on the Phase 1 Pedestrian Master Plan Citywide Framework Report, Phases 2 & 3 involve inventorying seven communities in the city to analyze pedestrian needs, identify problems and create a prioritized list of pedestrian projects specific to each community. Phase 2 & 3 will integrate the findings of Phases 1 into a coherent Pedestrian Master Plan that will guide the way the City plans and implements pedestrian improvement projects in all San Diego communities. - Seamless Travel Study (2007)
The Seamless Travel Study (2007) is a two year research effort that investigates correlations between land use, pedestrian and bicycle facility types, local demographics and the rates of bicycling and walking. The project is funded by Caltrans and is a collaboration of Alta and the UC Berkeley's Traffic Safety Center. As a part of data collection, Ms. Enderle managed a team who collected 250 pedestrian and 150 bicyclist surveys throughout the San Diego region. She also developed GIS maps that were incorporated into presentations and a report summarizing the Year One results of the Seamless Travel Study.
