Portraits of San Diego’s Sustainable Commuters

4:46 PM PDT on May 12, 2020

The Wood family commutes 3 miles by bike and bus. Photo by Angelica Rocha, Circulate San Diego

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Angelica Rocha, a planner with Circulate San Diego, had been taking a series of photographs of San Diego County residents that highlight the widely varying ways people commute in the region. The beautiful black-and-white portrait series is part of the Move Free SD campaign, a program to encourage people to use more sustainable transportation in San Diego.

The portraits showcase a wide variety of people who get around the region by foot, bus, bike, scooter, trolley, ferry - and in one case by electric unicycle. The 52 people featured live in eight different cities within San Diego County, and their commutes range from over 26 miles to zero--that last probably more common now than it was when these portraits were taken.

Denice W commutes 10.8 miles by bike. Photo by Angelica Rocha, Circulate San Diego — Denice W. commutes 10.8 miles by bike. Photo by Angelica Rocha, Circulate San Diego

According to the photographer,

The portraits are meant to create a conversation about sustainable commuting options in San Diego and showcase Circulate San Diego's creative engagement strategies. By photographing and interviewing diverse residents from across the region, we hope to inspire others to consider walking, biking, public transit, carpool, or electric unicycle for their daily commutes. In addition to the portraits, we collected data on how, when, and why residents started commuting sustainably, challenges to their commute, and what investments they feel would support a regional shift in sustainable transportation.

Just because so many spring bike events have been canceled - no Bike to Work Day, no CicLAvias or CicloSDias, no May Is Bike Month parties - doesn't mean it's time to stop encouraging people to adopt and try more sustainable travel options. Circulate SD has made these portraits available for viewing as a digital exhibit, which they recommend taking a few minutes to enjoy - and be inspired by.

Melanie Curry @StreetsblogCal

Streetsblog California editor Melanie Curry has been thinking about transportation, and how to improve conditions for bicyclists, ever since commuting to school by bike long before bike lanes were a thing. She was Managing Editor at the East Bay Express, editor of Access Magazine for the University of California Transportation Center, and earned her Masters in City Planning from UC Berkeley.