Escondido staff reviews paving, bikeway additions and sharrows rule change

City of Escondido staff summarized progress on the citywide traffic program at the Oct. 9 Transportation and Community Safety Commission meeting, highlighting pavement preservation work, new buffered bike lanes, pedestrian‑scale lighting installations and several development projects that will affect traffic access.

Craig Williams (staff) said the city operates a pavement preservation cycle in which eight pavement zones receive focused work roughly once every eight years. Recent repaving on Center City Parkway and reconfiguration of Rock Springs Road to include a center left‑turn lane, one through lane each direction, bike lanes and parking were shown in staff photos. Williams said the city will install buffered bike lanes for the first time on a stretch of Center City Parkway — including a 3‑foot buffer — and added bike lanes approaching the Quince/Creek Trail crossing.

On lighting, staff described new LED pedestrian‑scale fixtures on Juniper and Old Escondido that are tunable for color and brightness. A commissioner raised a near‑term concern about whether those lights could be energized and tuned for Halloween; staff said the lights are in…