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City council directed staff to retain two lanes on El Fuerte after resident concerns; commission briefed on striping plan changes
Summary
City staff told the Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission that City Council reviewed three stripe‑layout options for El Fuerte and chose to keep two vehicle lanes each way while widening bike lanes at intersections; council also passed a minute motion requiring future lane‑reduction proposals to include enhanced outreach.
Tom Frank, Carlsbad’s transportation director and city engineer, briefed the Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission on modifications to the El Fuerte resurfacing and striping plan following a city council minute motion.
Why it matters: city council’s direction preserves two vehicular travel lanes on El Fuerte between Rancho Pancho and Faraday while allowing for wider bike lane transitions at intersections; council also required enhanced public outreach and directed staff to return to council before converting two lanes to one on any street in the future.
What the commission heard: Frank said the item was raised after complaints about temporary striping during the 2023 slurry‑seal project produced confusion. City Council reviewed three alternatives and selected “option 2” to maintain two vehicle lanes each way on the segment between Rancho Pancho and Faraday. Frank said concerns included potential congestion near Pacific Ridge School during peak hours. As a result of council deliberations, Mayor Blackburn’s minute motion (seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Bhat Patel) directed staff to return to council for any future proposed lane reductions and to expand public outreach; Frank said the motion passed unanimously.
Public input summarized: resident David Pierce presented traffic counts he collected at the intersection by Pacific Ridge. Pierce said his measured peak‑period flows did not exceed capacity for a single northbound through lane and recommended extending the left‑turn bay rather than restoring two through lanes. Frank told the commission that staff would revise striping plans consistent with council direction and process a change order for the work already underway.
Next steps: staff will revise construction striping to reflect city council’s direction and pursue the needed change order while incorporating council’s outreach and return‑to‑council requirement for future lane reductions.
Ending: The commission received the update; no commission action was required at the meeting.
