A group of 12 armed with spray paint, stencils and a heat gun took to the Mission Beach Boardwalk Tuesday morning to do a job the city said it didn’t have the manpower to do.
The group is called the Mission Beach Improvement Committee (MBIC) and their goal is to make the area safer.
"Safety is a big issue for the boardwalk and speed on the boardwalk," MBIC member Sarah Mattinson said.
The group first wanted to add mileage markers to the boardwalk, but as scooter related accidents on the boardwalk began to surge over the past few years, they asked the city if it could reinforce the 8 MPH signage for the area as well.
“You'll see people going up to 22-25 miles per hour and our pedestrians don't feel safe," Mattinson said..
San Diego officials told Mattinson they didn't have the manpower to put the additional signage in themselves, but the Parks and Recreation Department was willing to provide paint, vests and a stencil if she wanted to do it herself.
“The Mayor and the City of San Diego have imposed regulations and increased enforcement on shared mobility device operators including Geofencing areas to govern speeds in areas such as Mission Beach.,” a statement from a city spokesperson Anthony Santacroce read.
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Even with the geofencing, Mattinson and her group said they still witness dangerous scooter crashes along the boardwalk.
Santacroce's statement goes on to say, “In addition to geofencing, the City has installed more than 20 '8MPH' signs along the Mission Beach Boardwalk to supplement the existing signage. Now, the City has empowered the Mission Beach Town Council, at their request, to further add to the existing signage by stenciling directly onto the surface of the concrete walkway. Safety is of paramount importance and these measures will aid in keeping speeds on the boardwalk to 8 MPH and promote responsible and safe ridership.”
