Commission reviews draft work plan; staff outlines grant-funded signal upgrades and several safety projects

The Encinitas Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission spent the meeting reviewing a draft work plan and hearing staff and commissioners describe a range of possible projects, staff responsibilities and funding realities.

Jill Bankston, director of engineering, told commissioners the municipal code requires commissions to have a work plan and explained staff’s role: "The municipal code lays out that each of our commissions will have a work plan," she said, and staff will help develop items that may require studies, design work or funding. She emphasized that City Council directs the commission’s work and that some items in the draft will require council approval or additional funding.

Staff and commissioners reviewed specific items in the draft work plan and the meeting record shows the following highlights:

- AB 43 program: The commission previously reviewed AB 43 and the City Council has approved an adopted program; staff said that item can be removed from the commission’s active list.

- Citywide signal timing optimization: Staff has begun a feasibility evaluation and may recommend hiring a consultant to improve corridor timing and green-wave coordination. No council funding allocation had been confirmed at the meeting.

- Lead pedestrian interval (LPI) and signal controller upgrade: Bankston said the city received a $1,200,000 state grant to replace traffic-signal controllers, upgrade cabinets and improve crosswalk treatments citywide. Staff reported controllers have arrived, a contractor has been hired and cabinet upgrades were due to begin later this month; the commission will receive progress reports.

- El Camino Real cycle track / Santa Fe intersection: Staff said the city won an HSIP Cycle 12 grant to fund improvements around the Santa Fe intersection and northward along El Camino Real, including elements tied to the project where a recent fatality occurred. Staff expected to present designs to the commission in a future meeting and then to City Council.

- Automated enforcement as a funding source: One commissioner proposed studying the use of automated traffic enforcement (speed or red-light cameras) and allocating a portion of resulting fines to safety infrastructure. The commissioner framed the proposal as a revenue source to overcome budget constraints but acknowledged the topic is politically sensitive and has been debated previously in Encinitas.

- Bicycle and pedestrian projects: Commissioners discussed an ongoing Vulcan Trail safer-route effort (currently a dirt path with parking providing a partial buffer), a policy on bicycle parking at commercial areas (including consideration of e-bike behavior on sidewalks), improving signal detection and response for bicyclists, and targeted mid-block crossings or pedestrian improvements on El Camino Real and Birmingham Drive (Le Gay crossing) where sidewalks or crossings are discontinuous.

- Santa Fe Drive / Crest intersection (roundabout): Commissioners debated whether to pursue a “quick build” painted roundabout at Santa Fe and Crest versus a full roundabout. Staff cautioned that line-of-sight and grading issues at the summit could make a quick-build solution infeasible; staff estimated a painted quick-build option similar to one on Quail Gardens Drive and Ecke Ranch Road had cost roughly $200,000 in a previous project, but added that a full design and evaluation would be needed.

- Leucadia roundabouts and collision concerns: Commissioners cited repeated collisions, speeding and hit-and-run patterns at roundabouts on Leucadia Boulevard and nearby streets, noting video evidence posted publicly and requests for data review (including whether DUI is a contributing factor). Staff said collision data is available and will be reviewed for patterns.

- Autonomous vehicle pilot: A commissioner suggested exploring an autonomous vehicle testing pilot in Encinitas; the discussion noted that Waymo has recently identified San Diego as a market for expansion, prompting interest in potential local pilots or policy review.

Bankston and staff reminded the commission that items requiring formal council approval (new signals, stop signs, major parking changes, permit-parking zones) will come back to the commission as part of regular review. She also noted that some commission-originated requests would be added to staff’s list for evaluation and potential inclusion in the citywide work plan.

No funding allocations or final council-directed decisions were made at the meeting. Commissioners agreed to continue work-plan prioritization at upcoming meetings in April and May ahead of a joint meeting with the City Council.