Carlsbad advances Safe Routes to School plans for Hope, Jefferson and Sage Creek

Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Nathan Schmidt presented the City of Carlsbad’s Safe Routes to School program and the recently adopted improvement plans for Hope Elementary, Jefferson Elementary and Sage Creek High School. Schmidt described a two‑phase approach that pairs infrastructure projects with school‑site access plans and emphasized the program’s 3E strategy: education, engineering and enforcement.

Schmidt said the Hope Elementary plan focuses on pedestrian improvements along Tamarack Avenue and recommends a new shared bike‑and‑pedestrian path on the east side of Tamarack as an off‑street route into the campus. For Jefferson Elementary staff recommended signal‑timing tweaks and walking‑facility upgrades after a survey showed about 25% of students already walk to school. At Sage Creek High School, the plan prioritizes off‑street Class I bike/pedestrian paths to remove students from high‑speed roadways and targeted intersection safety improvements at College and Cannon.

Schmidt described program mechanics: near‑term striping and timing changes are often covered by the city’s resurfacing budget, larger capital improvements are routed through the CIP or pursued with grants, and the city looks for willing school partners to participate in plan development. He said the city council has adopted Safe Routes plans for three schools and staff are working with Buena Vista, Aviera Oaks and others to develop next‑phase proposals.

Public commenters and school staff urged programmatic supports to accompany engineering work. Jenny Hill, a Jefferson parent, described a walking‑school bus and a bike bus her neighborhood runs and encouraged the city to foster similar community models. Nikki Rudin, an MTSS teacher and Buena Vista parent, asked why a popular tunnel walkway from Forest Avenue to the Buena Vista campus is closed; Nathan Schmidt said the closure appears related to the campus modernization effort and staff will follow up with engineering and the district. Vanessa Forsyth urged off‑site drop‑off options and better enforcement of blocked crosswalks at El Camino Creek.

Committee members and staff discussed next steps, including eligibility for grant cycles and how to measure travel‑behavior change after campus renovations. Staff recommended outreach to principals and PTAs to identify parent 'champions,' cited parking‑lot advocate programs used in other cities to improve pickup/drop‑off efficiency, and said additional Safe Routes plans will be developed for interested schools next year.

The presentation and subsequent discussion left the committee with action items: staff will follow up on the Buena Vista tunnel question with district engineering, continue outreach to schools interested in Safe Routes plans, and pursue near‑term striping/resurfacing opportunities while seeking grants for larger infrastructure projects. "If you are aware of schools that are interested, really, it does take a willing partner to be successful in this process," Schmidt said.

The committee asked that staff return with updates on program rollouts and on community engagement strategies to support walking and bike buses.