Carmel Traffic Committee advances 4-way stop plan, backs ban on motorized e-bikes in preserve and orders parking changes

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Traffic Safety Committee on May 28 voted to send an updated traffic study and recommendations to the City Council that would add several four‑way stops in the downtown Commercial District, asked staff to draft an ordinance to prohibit motorized electric bicycles and similar vehicles in Mission Trail Nature Preserve, and approved a series of parking‑related changes including removing a two‑hour parking allowance at Dolores Street and Sixth Avenue.

The motion to forward the updated 4‑way stop recommendations to council was unanimous. Chair Paul Tomasi said the recommendations update a 2003–2005 traffic study and would be presented to the council with attachments so council members can review the full record before acting. “If the Traffic Safety Committee agrees with the proposed new recommendations, a new updated staff report will be brought to a future city council meeting, hopefully July,” Tomasi said.

Why it matters: The committee is moving to complete a traffic plan that was first drafted two decades ago and adopt changes the committee says will reduce driver and pedestrian confusion in the compact, high‑traffic downtown commercial area. The panel also prioritized pedestrian safety at a separate sidewalk crossing and targeted policy and enforcement changes aimed at preserving public spaces and keeping parking available for short visits.

Most important decisions

- Commercial District four‑way stops: The committee voted to forward an updated set of recommendations — including making San Carlos at Fifth a four‑way stop and adding signage at several other intersections — to the City Council for adoption. The staff presentation noted prior work by Higgins and Associates in 2003–2005 recommending 15 intersections for control; staff said seven intersections remain to be implemented. Committee members said several previously rejected locations (because of concerns about truck rollbacks or fire department access) should be left alone, while others should be converted now because vehicle technology and traffic patterns have changed.

- Mission Trail Nature Preserve: The committee voted to ask staff to prepare an ordinance to add electric motorized bicycles and similar motorized vehicles to the municipal code prohibition on wheeled contrivances in parks and pedestrian paths. Karen Ferlito, president of Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve, told the committee that motorized bikes are leaving new trail cutting and marks on recently installed boardwalks. “We definitely do not want motorcycles in there because a hot exhaust with any of those dry grasses, could really cause a conflagration,” she said, urging an update to municipal code 10.40.025 to include electric vehicles.

- Jane Powers Walkway (San Antonio at Jane Powers): After reviewing a recent resident letter that asked both for signs on the far side of San Antonio and a marked crosswalk, the committee approved installing matching pedestrian crossing signage on the opposite side of the roadway and keeping a marked crosswalk as a potential capital improvement. Public works staff noted placing a painted, ADA‑compliant crosswalk would require removing a curb segment and addressing a storm drain at that location, which makes it a larger project than paint alone.

- Junipero Street center median no‑parking review: The committee asked Public Works to conduct a field review and return with a recommendation about adding permanent no‑parking signs in the center median of Junipero Street (between Eighth and Twelfth avenues) to stop vehicles from driving onto and parking on landscape islands. Committee members recalled using temporary rope barriers during busy events and said the repeated tire damage and fire hazard makes a permanent solution desirable.

- Dolores Street and Sixth Avenue loading zone: Following the passage of AB 413, the committee directed staff to remove the posted two‑hour parking allowance at the northeast corner loading zone because the new state rule requires the space remain posted as a loading zone, red zone or dedicated bicycle area; the committee concluded the two‑hour general parking designation is no longer allowable.

- Post Office parking lot: The committee adopted a package of changes aimed at improving short‑term turnover in the city‑owned post office lot, including revising signage to read “Post Office parking only, Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.,” trimming vegetation that obscures signs and asking Parking Enforcement to concentrate enforcement there. Resident Hugo Fledo told the committee the lot was often full and that “we desperately need some enforcement.” Staff also agreed to consider an additional sign at the lot entrance to emphasize one‑way circulation and help reduce wrong‑way entries.

Deferred and procedural outcomes

- Seventh Avenue (south side) no‑parking request: Committee members discussed a neighborhood request to prohibit parking on the south side of Seventh Avenue between Carmelo Street and San Antonio Street after construction and new curbwork narrowed the roadway. Committee members agreed to pause on installing permanent no‑parking signs until staff confirms whether the curb and drainage work in that block were installed under a city project or private permit; the committee asked staff to return with permit documentation and a recommendation at a future meeting.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded in the meeting record)

- Adopt previous meeting minutes (consent): Passed (roll call) with one abstention noted in record. - Install an additional pedestrian crossing sign on the far side of San Antonio at Jane Powers Walkway and keep crosswalk work in the project queue: Approved (roll call unanimous among members present). - Forward updated four‑way stop recommendations for seven intersections (about 16 stop signs) to the City Council with an updated staff report (target July council meeting): Approved, unanimous roll call. - Direct Public Works to review and return with no‑parking recommendations for Junipero Street median between Eighth and Twelfth: Approved, unanimous roll call. - Remove the two‑hour parking allowance in the loading zone at Dolores Street and Sixth Avenue (AB 413 requirement): Approved, unanimous roll call. - Revise post office lot signage to “Post Office parking only Monday–Saturday 8–5,” clear visibility, trim vegetation and increase enforcement: Approved, unanimous roll call. - Request staff draft an amended municipal code or ordinance to explicitly prohibit motorized electric bicycles and similar motorized vehicles in Mission Trail Nature Preserve and consider consistent signage and enforcement: Approved, unanimous roll call. - Consideration of no‑parking signs on the south side of Seventh Avenue: Decision deferred pending confirmation of permitting/authority for existing curbwork; staff to return with recommendation.

Quotes and attributions (selected)

- “If the Traffic Safety Committee agrees with the proposed new recommendations, a new updated staff report will be brought to a future city council meeting, hopefully July,” Chair Paul Tomasi said during the presentation of the updated study.

- Karen Ferlito, president of Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve, said motorized bikes are leaving tire and burn marks on trails and boardwalks and warned of fire risk: “We definitely do not want motorcycles in there because a hot exhaust with any of those dry grasses, could really cause a conflagration.”

- On the Jane Powers Walkway crossing, Public Works staff explained a painted, ADA‑compliant crosswalk would require removing a curb segment and installing or modifying a storm drain, making it “a much larger project than just painting a crosswalk.”

- Resident Hugo Fledo said of the post office lot: “The parking lot was completely full… we desperately need some enforcement.”

Context and background

Committee members reviewed the original Higgins and Associates downtown traffic study (2003–2005), which recommended traffic control changes at numerous downtown intersections. Some locations were previously deferred because of concerns about truck rollbacks and fire access; the committee said modernization of vehicle technology and downtown traffic patterns make re‑evaluating those earlier choices appropriate. The committee emphasized that adding stop signs requires council action and said it would present the full historical record and attachments to council for review.

Who spoke (selected; roles as identified in the meeting record)

- Paul Tomasi — Chair, Traffic Safety Committee (government) - Rob Culver — Public works staff (government) - Ken Wysocki — Director, Public Works (government) - Anna Jeanette — Committee member (government) - Karen Ferlito — President, Friends of Mission Trail Nature Preserve (citizen/advocate) - Cindy Lloyd — Resident (citizen) - Hugo Fledo — Resident (citizen) - Kevin (last name not specified) — Online commenter (citizen) - Commander (last name Treher/Treuer, as spoken) — Police command staff (government)

Clarifying details extracted from committee discussion

- Jane Powers Walkway crosswalk: To create an ADA‑compliant painted crosswalk would require removing an existing curb segment and installing or modifying a storm drain; staff characterized that as a capital improvement that requires separate project approval and funding. - Junipero median: Committee members and residents said temporary rope barriers had been used during busy events (Car Week) and that repeated vehicle access creates turf and root damage and increases fire risk; staff will review spacing and municipal/state sign spacing rules. - Dolores & Sixth loading zone: AB 413’s classification of loading zones means the previously posted two‑hour allowance is not allowable at that location; staff will remove the 2‑hour sign and keep the loading zone designation. - Post office lot: Proposed new signage language: “Post Office parking only, Monday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.”; committee also asked for trimming/visibility improvements and concentrated parking enforcement. - Mission Trail: Existing municipal code referenced as muni code 10.40.025 (prohibitions on certain wheeled devices in parks); committee recommended explicitly adding electric motorized bicycles/electric motorized vehicles to the code to enable citation and enforcement.

Community relevance

- Geographies affected: Downtown Commercial District (San Carlos/Fifth and multiple downtown intersections), San Antonio Street/Jane Powers Walkway, Junipero Street median (Eighth–Twelfth), Dolores & Sixth corner, Mission Trail Nature Preserve, Seventh Avenue (Carmelo–San Antonio). - Impact groups: Pedestrians (including older adults and people with strollers), downtown businesses (traffic flow and visitor access), residents seeking short‑term parking, Mission Trail volunteers and nature preserve users. - Funding/implementation: Crosswalk at Jane Powers Walkway would be a capital project requiring curb/drain work and funding; four‑way stop changes require council adoption and sign installation by Public Works.

Meeting context

- Engagement level: The meeting included multiple public commenters (at least six named residents and several online commenters) and staff presentations; the committee covered seven substantive discussion items and took action on most. - Implementation risk: Medium — most items require either capital work, council adoption, or changes to municipal code and enforcement procedures. - History: The four‑way stop proposal revisits recommendations from a 2003–2005 Higgins and Associates study and earlier Traffic Safety Commission deliberations.

Searchable tags:["traffic","pedestrian_safety","parking","Mission_Trail","electric_bikes","crosswalks","Carmel-by-the-Sea","public_works","AB_413"]

Ending: The committee asked staff to prepare the council staff report and ordinance language where appropriate and said it expects to return updated materials to a future council meeting and to the committee; the next Traffic Safety Committee meeting was announced for Aug. 27 at 1:30 p.m.