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Encinitas mobility commission votes to ask council to declare traffic-safety emergency after four vulnerable-user deaths
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Summary
After public pleas and staff reports on enforcement and collisions, the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission voted 5–2 to request the city council declare a state of emergency addressing traffic safety and to pursue faster project delivery, enforcement and grant funding.
The Encinitas Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission voted to ask the City Council to declare a state of emergency on traffic safety, citing four vulnerable-road-user deaths in the current year and renewed calls from residents for faster action.
Commissioners approved a motion directing the chair to request the council to declare an emergency to speed interdepartmental coordination, pursue grant funding for priority projects in the city92s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, and implement expedited "quick-build" treatments and increased enforcement. The motion passed on a recorded voice roll-call: Patricia Trauth (yes), Glenn Johnson (yes), Chris Duncan (yes), James Gross (yes), David Thiele (yes); Ron Medock (no), Paul Templin (no). The commission asked the chair to prepare a draft letter for a future council report.
Why it matters: Commissioners, staff and dozens of residents told the commission they want steps that move more quickly than the normal multi-month engineering and grant cycles. Supporters said the city already has plans (the CSAP) and needs fewer procedural delays. Opponents cautioned that pending collision investigations remain incomplete and urged care before declaring an official emergency.
Public speakers pressed the commission to act. "Lives are at stake, and our community cannot afford to wait any longer," said Laura Van Dusen during oral communications, calling for a declaration and quick-build safety fixes. Abigail Brown, a Parkdale Lane parent, described repeated near-misses at the Village Parkway and Parkdale Lane intersection and asked the commission to seek a study of an elevated crosswalk and a second crossing guard: "Children deserve to be able to walk to school without fear." Several speakers also asked for more visible striping, speed feedback signs and targeted enforcement.
Staff presentations and data informed the discussion. Christie Trampus, traffic sergeant at the North Coastal Sheriff92s Station, reported enforcement activity including a single-day traffic blitz in August that resulted in about 140 citations; she said August showed 20 collisions and 15 DUI arrests and that the department is seeking two additional DUI enforcement vehicles. Mobility Manager Nick Buck described ongoing traffic-safety programs including crossing-guard MOUs with local school districts and an upcoming microtransit study; he reminded the commission that the city funds roughly half the cost of crossing guards in partnership with districts.
Commissioners debated the best path. Commissioner Ron Medock objected to rushing to an emergency declaration without completed collision investigations, saying, "We should wait until that before we act; we need to know what caused each of those crashes." Other commissioners said the number of vulnerable-user deaths so far this year is outside the expected rate for a city of this size and warranted urgent action to marshal staff, enforcement and grant-seeking.
The commission asked staff and the chair to prepare a draft letter to the council describing the requested actions and the rationale, and indicated they would consider revisions and a formal vote on the letter at a future meeting.
Ending: The commission's request now moves to the City Council as a recommendation from the advisory body. Staff said the chair's draft will be circulated and returned to the commission for formal approval before being forwarded to council.
