Parents in the South Bay are concerned after learning the San Diego Association of Governments plans to lay the path of a rapid bus transit extension directly in front of an elementary school.
They have launched a campaign against SANDAG in an effort to find a safer alternative.
“SANDAG’s Jim Linthincum was asked if he would want a ‘bus rapid transit’ system cutting through his residential area and he did not answer,” wrote an objector on the campaign’s GoFundMe page.
The commenter asked how parents can be expected to say yes to a project none of the SANDAG representatives would want in their own neighborhoods.
SANDAG plans to turn East Palomar Road from a four lane street to a six lane, with two dedicated bus lanes right down the middle.
The complaint of some parents is that they did not know of the actual plans until a few weeks ago.
Parents in the Otay Ranch community said they were told the transit system would be to the east of Hedenkamp Elementary School, not directly in front of it.
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They are taking their complaints straight to a judge, and launched an injunction to halt the project due to safety concerns.
“There won’t be room for a mother with a carriage and a toddler, and her school age children,” said Ida Spector, a Chula Vista resident. “That toddler takes one misstep off the sidewalk and that’s life or death to that child.”
Technical errors in paperwork caused the judge to deny the injunction on Tuesday, but the residents will be allowed to bring their case to him again.
Spector told NBC 7 she was disappointed, but is planning to come back again after speaking with an attorney.
