Encinitas council sends Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission work plan back for prioritization after safety, signage and enforcement concerns

The Encinitas City Council and the Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission met in a special joint session to review the commission's draft work plan and voted unanimously to send the plan back to the commission to be narrowed and prioritized, returning to the council in about four weeks or "as soon as practicable." The motion to return the plan for revision was moved by Council member Jim O'Hara and seconded by Council member Tony Schaffer; the council recorded the motion as carrying unanimously.

City Traffic Engineer Abe Bandigan presented background on the commission, noting its advisory role under the city's municipal code and that the commission has not met jointly with council since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Bandigan described the commission's scope — including reviews of items that by municipal code require council approval (new traffic signals, stop signs and speed-limit changes), Safe Routes to School referrals, CIP-related striping plans, and ad hoc public requests — and said the commission has no dedicated funding for projects. "We've had this before but we've missed it since COVID," Bandigan told the joint body, framing the meeting as an opportunity to re-establish priorities.

Public comment focused heavily on roundabouts, signage and pedestrian crossings. Mark Wisniewski described difficulty navigating the El Portal roundabout and differences he observed between signage there and roundabouts on Leucadia Boulevard, arguing for more consistent signage. Michael Von Neumann urged that the commission prioritize safety for all road users and said lower speed limits require consistent enforcement to be effective. Other speakers, including Molly Hintlien, Russell Levin and John Giada, asked for clearer signage, consideration of flashing lights or HAWK signals at busy pedestrian crossings, rumble strips approaching roundabouts, and better education for drivers and pedestrians about roundabout use.

Commissioners and council members discussed several recurring themes: (1) that the upcoming update to the circulation (mobility) element will change the policy context for many of the commission's potential projects and should guide priorities; (2) specific local needs such as Santa Fe Drive (with emphasis on the school zone) and the Santa Fe/Crest roundabout; (3) inconsistent roundabout signage and visibility that may contribute to crashes; (4) reinstating more focused enforcement, including a citizen-informed focused-enforcement program that had been used previously; and (5) the contentious record around flexible plastic bollards and a commissioner proposal to form a subcommittee to review bollard safety and alternatives.

Debate included automated enforcement. Council members and commissioners expressed contrasting views: some urged an open mind toward automated enforcement and license-plate technology as tools to reduce speeding and generate revenue for safety programs, while others emphasized that enforcement should be flexible and visible across the city rather than limited to fixed automated locations. Several council members asked the commission to prioritize a smaller number of projects (top five to ten) the commission could reasonably address in a year given limited staff time and funding.

Council direction: the council voted to send the MTSC draft work plan back to the commission to be narrowed and prioritized, to incorporate the day’s feedback (including safety, signage consistency, Safe Routes to School and enforcement approaches) and to return for a joint meeting in approximately four weeks or as soon as practicable. Council and staff suggested the commission may convene subcommittees under existing rules, subject to purpose statements and Brown Act compliance, and encouraged the commission to seek clearer guidance about budget realities when prioritizing.

The council and commission agreed to schedule follow-up meetings, including the possibility of special meetings for the commission to allow it time to refine its priorities before the next joint session.