Encinitas council amends Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission work plan after public outcry over recent deaths

The Encinitas City Council and the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission held a joint special meeting June 24 to review the commission's work plan, hear extended public comment after several recent traffic deaths and to give direction on near-term enforcement and design options.

The meeting opened with a presentation by Abe Bandigan, the city traffic engineer, who summarized the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission's (MTSC) role and the draft work plan the commission prioritized after three meetings following council direction in March. Patricia Trauth, chair of the MTSC, outlined 10 shortlisted projects including citywide roundabout signage consistency, a Santa Fe Drive corridor review, an east-west circulation and active-transportation prioritization, pedestrian improvements at Birmingham/Leucadia, enforcement coordination with the sheriff's office, walkway continuity on Vulcan Avenue, mid-block crossings in New Encinitas, bicycle parking policy for commercial areas, a quick-build roundabout pilot, and a safety-education program with the city's mobility manager.

The work-plan review drew lengthy public comment following the death of a child, Emery, earlier this year. Dozens of residents urged faster action on enforcement, automated tools and infrastructure changes. Speakers asked the city to expand sheriff enforcement, pursue automated enforcement pilots authorized by state law and prioritize built safety measures such as roundabouts, chicanes and protected bike facilities.

22We need safe streets now,22 said Aaron Hebsche of Encinitas Bike Walk, citing recent fatalities on the same corridor. Several speakers suggested speed and red-light cameras, expanded deputy traffic patrols and larger engineering changes to reduce vehicle speeds. Christine Schindler told the council, 22We need to slow the fast down,22 while Doug Anderson proposed mandatory safety education for operators of high-powered e-bikes and stiffer penalties for traffic infractions.

Council members and commissioners discussed both near-term enforcement and longer-term design work. Deputy Mayor Lyons proposed declaring a roadway-safety state of emergency to signal urgency and to allow the council to consider rapid funding and priority actions; the city attorney advised the council that such a binding declaration was not on the posted agenda but could be agendized. Lyons revised the motion to request that the item be placed on the next council agenda; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

On the work plan itself, council and commission members negotiated edits. Council asked the MTSC to: - Study the state pilot speed-camera program (referred to in the meeting as SB 645) and recommend whether Encinitas should participate in a pilot and under what parameters; - Add a functional Vision Zero goal (defined in discussion as the strategic objective of minimizing deaths and severe injuries from the transportation system) to the commission's scope; - Review signal timing and coordination (including lead pedestrian intervals) and explore coordination with Caltrans for major corridors; - Expand the circulation/active-transportation item to include investigation of alternate east'west bicycle and pedestrian routes that would better separate vulnerable users from major vehicle corridors; - Proceed with citywide consistency on roundabout signage, and, when feasible, align approaches with neighboring cities for driver clarity.

Council removed two items from the MTSC's prioritized list as drafted by the commission (the agenda references labeled them as items 2 and 9). Members agreed the commission should return recommendations on the SB 645 pilot, signal-timing adjustments, Vision Zero framing and alternative east'west active-transportation routing. After discussion the council moved to adopt the commission's work plan as amended and the motion carried unanimously.

City staff told the council they will bring a comprehensive safety-action package and the four awarded Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant options to a future special council meeting; staff said HSIP project designs and any use of grant funds will come to the public in future hearings. Staff also noted the city has received a separate HSIP grant for controller and crosswalk improvements and identified roughly $1.2 million in state HSIP funding being used to upgrade traffic-signal equipment and pedestrian features (lead-pedestrian intervals).

Several technical clarifications and requests in public comment were noted for staff follow-up: the need for more visible speed signage on North Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia, potential turn-pocket uses on Encinitas Boulevard instead of adding a third through lane, localized requests for speed humps and more permanent driver-feedback signs, and concerns about classification and legality of high-powered e-bikes. Several speakers asked the council to pursue legislation and state-level action to address e-bike regulation and speed limits.

The council and commission said they would continue to pursue a multi-pronged approach that pairs more enforcement, targeted automated tools where legally permitted, and street-level engineering changes. The mayor and other council members emphasized there is no single solution and that staff would present financial options and implementation timelines with future agenda items.

Votes at a glance - Motion to agendize a roadway-safety state of emergency for the council's next meeting (Deputy Mayor Lyons moved; second not specified): outcome agendized to next meeting (motion carried unanimously). - Motion to adopt the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission work plan as amended (mover/second not specified): approved unanimously.

Why it matters Encinitas council and its advisory commission sit at the intersection of engineering, enforcement and public demand for safer streets. The meeting marked a visible shift toward pairing short-term enforcement measures with longer-term infrastructure investments and included explicit direction to study automated speed enforcement pilots and signal coordination, and to return financially scoped proposals to council for public review and decision.

What's next Staff will return with a comprehensive safety-action plan and HSIP design options at a future special meeting; the council directed staff and the MTSC to develop recommendations on the state speed-camera pilot, signal timing coordination, alternate east'west active-transportation routes and a Vision Zero framing for future agenda packets.