Harry Bubbins is a member of the La Jolla Community Planning Association. The views expressed here are his own.
As a planning group member from an adjacent neighborhood, I walked into the Pacific Beach Planning Group meeting at the local library on Cass Street excited about an agenda item. I left with a history lesson, a sense that consensus is forming, and a greater appreciation for the San Diegans who volunteer their time on such groups.
The agenda item was simple: Should Ocean Boulevard between Grand Avenue and Thomas Avenue finally be opened to people — not just cars — on weekends and holidays?
The proposal, “The Case for Pedestrianizing Ocean Boulevard,” brought forward by beautifulPB, cites extensive 2025 traffic sensor data showing that pedestrians and cyclists already make up nearly 74% of all traffic on that stretch. The adjacent boardwalk routinely hits 11,000 to 12,000 people on summer weekends. When that overflows, people spill onto the roadway because they have nowhere else to go. July 4th weekend data showed pedestrian traffic on the roadway spiking dramatically while vehicle traffic remained flat…