HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-02; Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission; 02; Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements – Segment 3Meeting Date:
To:
Staff Contact:
Subject:
District:
June 2, 2025
Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
Brandon Miles, Associate Engineer
brandon.miles@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2745
Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements –
Segment 3
3
Recommended Action
Support staff’s recommendation to the City Council to approve the plans and specifications of
the Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements – Segment 3, Capital
Improvement Program, or CIP, Project No. 6004.
Explanation & Analysis
In July 2017, the City of Carlsbad was awarded an Active Transportation Program, or ATP, grant
by Caltrans to construct a portion of the Coastal Rail Trail, or CRT, along Avenida Encinas
between Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road. This portion of the CRT has been identified as a
high priority by the local and regional community. This section of the CRT is part of a planned
regional bikeway that includes a 44-mile-long corridor that connects six coastal cities
throughout San Diego County between Oceanside and downtown San Diego.
The project plans to construct over 2.5 miles of new enhanced bicycle facilities, pedestrian
ramps, new sidewalks where there are gaps, enhanced intersection treatments for improved
bicycle and pedestrian safety, and traffic calming with a road lane realignment at select
locations along the corridor.
Staff are seeking feedback and recommendation of approval from the Traffic Safety & Mobility
Commission to the City Council to approve the plans and specifications of the project.
Discussion
In order to expedite the project schedule and realistically manage the environmental review
and right-of-way acquisition phases to meet the ATP grant requirements, the Avenida Encinas
Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements has been broken into three segments along
Avenida Encinas, as shown in Exhibit 1.
•Segment 1: Cannon Road to Palomar Airport Road – Completed
•Segment 2: Poinsettia Coaster Station to Carlsbad Blvd – Completed
TRAFFIC SAFETY & MOBILITY COMMISSION
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 1 of 20
• Segment 3: Palomar Airport Road to Poinsettia Coaster Station – Subject of this report
Complete Segments
The city has completed construction of Segment 1 of the project between Cannon Road and
Palomar Airport Road. This segment was funded by a separate CIP project and includes a road
narrowing with enhanced/buffered Class-II bike lanes delineated by pavement striping and
signs. The enhanced intersection at Cannon Road and Avenida Encinas, as proposed in the
original project scope of work, will be constructed as part of a future city project.
The city has also completed construction of Segment 2 of the project between the Poinsettia
Coaster Station and Carlsbad Boulevard. Improvements to Segment 2 include striping
modifications, enhanced/buffered Class-II bike lanes, enhanced intersection treatments
including curb extensions, traffic calming measures and high-visibility crosswalks.
Segment 3 – Scope and Benefits
The portion of the project corridor between Palomar Airport Road and the Poinsettia Coaster
Station (Segment 3) will require widening of portion of the existing roadway to accommodate
new sidewalks and wider bikeway facilities. The construction of the improvements in this
portion will be complex and require evaluation of the environmental impacts associated with
the project, potential habitat mitigation requirements, property acquisition, utility
undergrounding, and obtaining the required permits.
Segment 3 will improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the Poinsettia Coaster Station,
enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists, promoting the use of public transit, and reducing
vehicle emissions to contribute to better air quality. Additionally, it can boost local businesses
by increasing foot and bike traffic and encourage healthier lifestyles through active
transportation options.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 2 of 20
Proposed improvements along Segment 3 will include the following features as identified in the
design improvements provided in Exhibit 2:
• Buffered Class-II bike lanes
• Raised medians
• Relocation of utilities
• New sidewalks and curb ramps
• Enhanced crosswalks
Previous Commission Review
As previously presented to the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission on April 4, 2022, and on
June 3, 2024, the Commission received presentations on this project and supported staff’s
recommendations to implement the Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements along the
project corridor. The minutes from these meetings are provided in Exhibit 3 and 4, respectively.
Next Steps
Following feedback and support from the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission, staff will
update the plans as needed and go to the City Council with a recommendation to approve the
plans, specifications, and contract documents, and authorize the City Clerk to advertise for
construction bids for the project in late-2025.
Exhibits
1. Location Map
2. Traffic Plans
3. Approved Meeting Minutes of the Traffic & Mobility Commission on April 4, 2022
4. Approved Meeting Minutes of the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission on June 3, 2024
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 3 of 20
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June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 4 of 20
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June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 7 of 20
Page 1 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Council Chambers
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
April 4, 2022, 4:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER: 4:01 p.m.
ROLL CALL: Linke, Penseyres, Fowler and Newlands
Absent: Perez, Coelho and Proulx
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Acting Chair Linke led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
CONSENT CALENDAR: None
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS:
1.POLICE MONTHLY REPORT – (Staff Contact: Lieutenant Jason Jackowski, Police Department)
Staff’s Recommendation: Receive a presentation
Lieutenant Jackowski presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in
the Office of the City Clerk)
Commissioner Newlands inquired if the Lieutenant Jackowski has an insight about the collisions
rising year after year.
Lieutenant Jackowski responded that as people are back out on the road, the increased number
of cars might play a role on the increasing number of collisions.
Commissioner Penseyres inquired about the results of the DUI checkpoint that was scheduled
to take place last month at the north end of the city.
Lieutenant Jackowski responded that the DUI checkpoint was cancelled due to insufficient
staffing.
2.SANDAG 2021 REGIONAL PLAN – (Staff Contact: Tom Frank, Public Works; Marisa Mangan,
and Tuere Fa’aola SANDAG Senior Regional Planner)
Staff’s Recommendation: Receive a presentation and provide input
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June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 8 of 20
Page 2 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Tom Frank and Marisa Mangan presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation
(on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
Commissioner Newlands inquired if the hours of operation of the Coaster will be extended?
Transportation Director Frank responded that there are plans to increase the service of the
Coaster. The hope is that increasing the service would also increase the ridership.
Commissioner Fowler commented that the proposed SANDAG Regional Plan is maintaining 50%
of the budget through 2050 to be spent on public transportation but the statistics show this
does not change the aggregate behavior of commuters, 65% of the population is still riding the
freeways. We need to emphasize public transportation over freeway building. The interchange
between I-5 to 78 will not be good for the local community.
Commissioner Penseyres commented that if we want people to utilize the trains, we need
better frequency and longer hours of service. Also, E-bike ridership has increased dramatically,
but the issue is how can the riders get to the beach from inland. Can we put pressure on
Caltrans about this issue? There is no way for the riders to get to the coast without crossing the
I-5 freeway, which is dangerous.
Transportation Director Frank recommended that we bring these issues to Caltrans and North
Coast Transit District when they join us at a future meeting to present their comprehensive
multimodal planning efforts.
Acting Chair Linke commented on cars using Carlsbad surface streets such as Jefferson, College
Boulevard and El Camino Real as cut through routes when I-5 is congested and how that is
hurting the local community with increased traffic, decreased safety for bicyclists and an
increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
Fixing the I-5 to 78 interchanges could help to fix these issues. He commented that the
Environmental Impact Review, or EIR, process is starting this fall which is great but is it
necessary for the EIR process to take five years before the project can more forward? We need
to improve conditions on our surface streets for other modes of travel soonest and the time
frame of five years is not practical.
Sustainable Communities Program Manager Fa’aola responded that the EIR process is long and
there are a lot of requirements from the State of California. She cannot speak on behalf of
CALTRANS and whether they could abbreviate that time frame.
Acting Chair Linke asked about the line item in the SANDAG budget that mentions connecting
the managed lanes from freeway 78 to I-5. Does that mean some of the lanes will be
connected and some will have a stop light?
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 9 of 20
Page 3 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Sustainable Communities Program Manager Fa’aola explained that the interchange will have
two improvements, one is for the managed lanes in order to provide the connection from 78 to
I-5 managed lanes but then also the general freeway connector which would serve for the
general-purpose lanes. It is two separate projects, but CALTRANS could speak to the schedule
and how that would encompass both.
Acting Chair Linke is concerned about future plans for Palomar Airport Road to convert one
travel lane in each direction to a transit priority lane. Palomar Airport Road is very congested,
and the road is exempted from the growth management plan because it is failing the level of
service minimum standard. If we take three already full lanes and convert one of them to
transit, then how will we move 1/3 of those cars to take an alternative mode of transportation
or a different route. We need the transit lane to allow the bus to get to its destination faster to
convince riders to take the bus. The map also showed a transit lane on El Camino Real. How
will this look in Carlsbad? How will transit riders get around Carlsbad using transit on just those
two roads?
Sustainable Communities Program Manager Fa’aola responded that they recognize that travel
in North County is much different than what you might see in San Diego. They believe having
flexible fleet’s that are more of an on-demand schedule will be more beneficial in these more
spread-out suburban communities. Fixed transit service that travels along one route at fixed
times during the day will not be the most advantageous in these areas. SANDAG is looking at
how we can deploy more of these flexible fleet services and encourage ride share. When we do
have those locations specified for the fixed transit service, we are looking at how we can utilize
the existing system that is there to enhance it with the multimodal aspect of adding priority for
transit or people who walk or bike. The Regional Plan is a very high level look at how we would
propose to put these services forward. Additional studies would have to be done and we would
need to look at the alternative analysis. There would be public engagement and outreach
involved in that process as well. This process would have to happen for any route within
SANDAG’s entire plan. SANDAG’s goal is to give people options that don’t exist today. It won’t
be one solution but many coming together that will make an impactful change.
Acting Chair Linke inquired about funding. There is controversy around the road user charge or
charging people for the number of miles they are driving. This approach makes a lot of sense as
long as it is fair to those people who have jobs and need to be driving. The gas tax will be going
away as more people buy electric vehicles. The driver should be charged a higher rate based on
how much damage their vehicle is doing to the freeway. An example would be a hummer
would cause a lot more damage to the freeway than a small sedan. There are three tax
increases proposed due to this plan which is concerning. The immediate increase which is
coming in November is concerning because it doesn’t appear that we have flushed out exactly
how the money is going to be spent. It is also concerning that SANDAG is relying on the Citizens
Initiative. What if it fails to get on the ballot or what if it is not promoted well enough?
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 10 of 20
Page 4 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
SANDAG cannot be involved in the promotion so if the Citizen group does not properly promote
and it fails then what would happen?
Sustainable Communities Program Manager Fa’aola responded that it is correct that it will be a
citizen-initiated ballot measure and SANDAG is not the sponsor of the measure and can’t be
involved. SANDAG’s plans are updated every four years so if we should see the measure for the
citizen-initiated ballot fail then they would look at how to change the funding revenue
assumptions in their plan and whether or not that would impact any of the projects. The short-
term outlook is for 2025 which is typically those that are programed as part of the regional
transportation improvement program which has funding sources to move them forward. We
would need to identify if there is funding available for those projects slated for the later years in
order to move them forward. There is federal funding and the Infrastructure Jobs Act and there
is opportunity for some of that funding to come to the San Diego region.
3.AVENIDA ENCINAS COASTAL RAIL TRAIL AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS– (Staff Contact:
Hossein Ajideh and Brandon Miles, Public Works)
Staff’s Recommendation: Receive a presentation and provide input
Engineering Manager Ajideh and Associate Engineer Miles presented the report and reviewed a
PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
Commissioner Penseyres supported the staff recommendation for Class II bike lanes. The Class
IV bike lanes would work better along the beach in Carlsbad, especially southbound.
Commissioner Penseyres inquired if educational opportunities will be provided to drivers with
guidelines to yielding and making legal right hand turns as close as possible to the right edge of
the road per the California Vehicle Code. He also asked about educational efforts regarding left
turn crashes, where drivers can turn left without stopping and without traffic controls. Will
Carlsbad put up portable digital signs as is being done along the Coast highway in Encinitas?
What about direct mail flyers to the residents?
City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that they don’t have any of those things concretely
planned, but they are great suggestions. All these suggestions are outside of the scope of work
for this project, but staff will consider all these options, especially the portable digital signs.
Acting Chair Linke asked staff if they had any input that they wanted to provide on the Class II
versus Class IV bike lanes in the specified area along Avenida Encinas between the Poinsettia
COASTER station and Carlsbad Boulevard.
City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that staff feels that buffered Class II bike lanes are the right
choice in this situation due to the number of driveway conflicts on Avenida Encinas.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 11 of 20
Page 5 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Transportation Director Frank agreed that buffered Class II bike lanes are the preferred option
in this situation as there are a lot of intersections/crossings and most of the incidents that
happen with bicyclists happen at intersections.
Acting Chair Linke brought up a public comment from Mr. Pierce who suggested a protected
intersection scheme called a Dutch intersection. Is this possible when you have Class II lanes
leading up to the intersection?
Transportation Director Frank replied that they did not have the Dutch intersection in the scope
of work and that it is a relatively new concept in the country and in California. Staff would need
to do thorough public vetting on an improvement of that sort. The Dutch intersection would
work better with a Class IV bike facility and may not be appropriate with Class 2 bike lanes.
Acting Chair Linke inquired about the Ponto Drive intersection and whether the proposed
design would be ready for the planned development of a resort and hotel in the area.
City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that the planned project would make the necessary
modifications to allow appropriate access at this intersection.
Acting Chair Linke stated that a public comment from Mr. Schulte suggesting that we have a
pedestrian crosswalk added near the railroad bridge where the Batiquitos Lagoon bluff trail
connects with the San Pacifico Community trail. Is this something that could be considered?
City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that staff will look at that area.
Acting Chair Linke added that Mr. Schulte proposed to have a pedestrian crossing at Dorey
Lane. What does staff think of this location? There was also a concern about the elimination of
some left turn lanes on Avenida Encinas.
City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that they did not think that Avenida Encinas at Dorey Lane
was a good fit for an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing. A controlled crossing is out of the
budget and therefore staff did not consider putting in a marked crosswalk. City Traffic Engineer
Kim further clarified that the proposed design did remove left turn lanes on Avenida Encinas at
Dorey Lane and Portage Way.
Transportation Director Frank added that where the City of Carlsbad is providing a marked
crosswalk, they like to have intersection control of some kind. There are often directional
access ramps that addresses the ADA issue at many unmarked intersections and, as per State
Law, pedestrians can cross at any intersection. If there is no marked crosswalk, staff finds that
pedestrians are more cautious with their decision to cross.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 12 of 20
Page 6 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Commissioner Newlands as well as Acting Chair Linke recommended adding a crosswalk across
from the shopping center at the southern entrance. There are many pedestrians who currently
cross at this location and there is no marked crosswalk.
City Traffic Engineer Kim pointed out that there was no apparent pedestrian access from the
residential area to Avenida Encinas in that area so no marked crosswalk was considered there.
Transportation Director Frank commented that for the development on the northeast side of
Carlsbad Boulevard and Avenida Encinas where the land use is for a resort, at Ponto Drive there
would be intersection control and protected crossings.
Motion by Acting Chair Linke, seconded by Commissioner Penseyres to support staff
recommendation to provide buffered Class II bike lanes along Avenida Encinas between
the Poinsettia COASTER station and Carlsbad Boulevard.
Motion carried: 4-0-3 (Absent: Perez, Coelho and Proulx)
Acting Chair Linke requested a break at 6:55 p.m. and the meeting resumed at 7:03 p.m.
4. MULTIMODAL LEVEL OF SERVICE UPDATE – (Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt, Public Works)
Staff’s Recommendation: Receive a presentation
Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt presented the report and
reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
Commissioner Fowler inquired about the consequences if a developer fails to meet the
requirements listed on the presentation.
Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt said that it goes into the scoring
calculation for the project and will vary based on the distance to the transit stop. The last
criteria where it states that if an area is governed by an adopted Transportation Demand
Management, or TDM, ordinance currently addresses the need for the project to meet these
specific criteria however this criteria is being proposed for removal as part of the methodology
updates.
Acting Chair Linke commented that Carlsbad has had a vehicle level of service for many years
but in 2015 the general plan added pedestrian, bicycle and transit level of service. The vehicle
level of service is straightforward where you count the cars and look at the capacity of the
street. If the population grows or there is a new development that adds residents with cars you
can predict that there will be more cars on the road. In contrast, with pedestrian, bicycle and
transit level of service it is based on the quality and not the quantity of users.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 13 of 20
Page 7 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
So whatever grade a street gets it is not predicted to change over time unless improvements
are being made to the street. He suggested that we make a change to the Citywide Facilities
and Improvements Program to bifurcate the monitoring that the city does versus what a
developer is expected to do. One of the main goals of the MMLOS system in our growth
management plan is to have developers pay their fair share toward the projects. Staff came up
with an alternative where they categorize certain criteria as a local mobility analysis only. That
applies when the city or a developer does a project but not the annual monitoring. However,
when we do the first annual monitoring, how are we going to address the deficiencies?
Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt said that this is the first time that we
will be preparing the results, so we don’t yet know the degree to which our system is failing in
regard to the MMLOS. The city will present a method to address the deficiencies once the
MMLOS monitoring results are presented to the T&MC.
Acting Chair Linke mentioned that some of the suggestions from the ad hoc committee were
not included due to the fact that developers could not be compelled to do the projects. The
question is which of these criteria can the developers not be conditioned to do?
Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt replied that for private development
projects we are limited to having developers correct deficiencies along the project roadway
frontage or those that are created by the project itself. We cannot have them correcting pre-
existing deficiencies. The City of Carlsbad intends to use the monitoring process to identify
gaps in our network and develop a project list to address those gaps. These identified projects
will then be included in our CIP and may also be included as multimodal improvement projects
as part of the Traffic Impact Fee update which is currently in process.
Transportation Director Tom Frank commented that after we receive the results of the
monitoring, when a development does come in, we will look for every opportunity to get the
improvements completed. We want to get the improvements conditioned and for the
developers to pay their fair share.
Acting Chair Linke mentioned that the city’s engineering documents state that all signalized
intersections must have a marked crosswalk. He suggested that as part of a new development
we compel developers to add a marked crosswalk across the nearest intersection if it is
signalized. We would need to cap it at E and not at D.
City Traffic Engineer John Kim responded that his concern to this suggestion would be that if a
requirement is made for a signalized intersection to have high visibility crosswalks installed that
the crosswalks be pre-existing. That is in consideration of some of the legs on certain traffic
signals that have pedestrian crossings prohibited. We do have this situation in a number of
locations, and we do not want these locations to be changed to allow pedestrian crossing.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 14 of 20
Page 8 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
Acting Chair Linke responded that we should follow the city engineering standards, and that
should separate out those legs that should not allow pedestrian crossings. He recommends
that we follow the city engineering manual and state that whenever there is a leg that the
manual states should have a crosswalk, that should be an essential feature under the LMA
category. The developer should have to do a warrant study, and therefore it should be capped
at LOS E so they perform this study.
Acting Chair Linke asked about the essential criteria for bus stops which are bench, trash can,
shelter and lighting. Will all of these amenities be required? This will help promote transit and
these stops could be used for ridesharing as well.
Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt replied that they are hesitant to include
shelter as an essential feature as this might be difficult to accomplish at some stop locations
with constrained available right-of-way.
Commissioner Penseyres commented that he would like to see the test cases and what we end
up with for scores and how it all plays out. The city has made a lot of changes regarding the
design of bicycle facilities and have done a great job. He is requesting another sub-committee
meeting to discuss the scores after they are received.
Motion by Commissioner Fowler, seconded by Commissioner Newlands recommending
several revisions to the City’s Multimodal Level of Service methodology including
additional provisions for high visibility crosswalks, essential transit stop access and
amenities, Transportation Demand Management requirements, and additional bicycle
lane requirements. They also suggested that staff schedule an ad-hoc committee meeting
after the scores/tests are completed to review the results prior to conducting the monitoring
analysis.
Motion carried: 4-0-3 (Absent: Perez, Coelho and Proulx)
CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER COMMENTS: Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager Schmidt announced that May is bike month, and he challenged everyone to commute by bike. Bike-to-work day is the third Thursday of the month (May 19th), and the city and other businesses will be organizing fun pit stops. There will be additional bike events in May that will be announced soon as well.
TRAFFIC AND MOBILITY COMMISSION COMMENTS:
Commissioner Newlands introduced himself and stated that he is very happy to be part of the
T&MC and is impressed with everything that he has seen so far.
Acting Chair Linke and Commissioner Fowler are serving on the Growth Management Citizens
Committee. The Growth Management Plan was adopted by voters and the City Council back in
1986 and the MMLOS is part of that. Now that the city has almost reached full buildout of the
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 15 of 20
Page 9 of 9 Public Works
Transportation 1635 Faraday Avenue Carlsbad, CA 92008 442-339-2746 t
street system, they are switching the focus. The Growth Management Plan will now have to be
changed and updated.
ADJOURNMENT:
Acting Chair Linke adjourned the Traffic & Mobility Commission Meeting on April 4, 2022, at
7:55 p.m.
___________________________
Eliane Paiva, Minutes Clerk
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 16 of 20
TRAFFIC SAFETY & MOBILITY COMMISSION
Minutes
June 3, 2024, 4 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER: 4:01 p.m.
ROLL CALL: Coelho, Fowler, Penseyres, Newlands and Kohl.
Absent: Proulx
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Chair Coelho led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes of Regular Meeting held on May 6, 2024.
Council Chamber
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Motion by Commissioner Penseyres, seconded by Vice Chair Fowler to approve the minutes of the
Regular Meeting held on May 6, 2024, with the amendment to Page 1, Item 2, of the minutes to
reflect that Commission Penseyres inquired regarding sharrows and Transportation Director Frank
confirmed that sharrows will be installed. Motion carried, 4/0/1/1 (Newlands -Abstain; Proulx -
Absent).
Commissioner Proulx joined the meeting at 4:05 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
CONSENT CALENDAR: None.
DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS:
1. RESTRICTING OVERNIGHT PARKING ON BABILONIA STREET-Introduce an ordinance restricting
overnight parking for approximately 500 feet along Babilonia Street, from the south property
line of 7151 Babilonia Street to the north property line of 7233 Babilonia Street. (Staff Contact:
Lieutenant Alonso DeVelasco, Police Department).
Staff's Recommendation: Support staff's recommendation.
Lieutenant Alonso DeVelasco presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on
file in the Office of the City Clerk).
The Commission received the PowerPoint presentation by Lieutenant DeVelasco.
Scott Masters spoke in favor of restricting overnight parking on Babilonia Street and suggested
that staff consider restricting the west side specifically.
Motion by Commissioner Proulx, seconded by Commissioner Kohl to support staff's
recommendation, Option 2 -Add Section 10.40.303 to the Carlsbad Municipal Code to establish
Exhibit 4
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 17 of 20
June 3, 2024 Traffic Safety & Mobility Regular Meeting Page 2
no parking zones between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on both east and west curb lines of Babilonia
Street for 500 feet from the south property line of 7151 Babilonia Street to the north property
line of 7233 Babilonia Street. Motion carried, 6/0.
2. AVENIDA ENCINAS COASTAL RAIL TRAIL AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS -SEGMENT 3-
1) Receive a presentation and provide input on the preliminary design of the Avenida Encinas
Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements -Segment 3 Capital Improvement Project No.
6004;and
2) Receive input from the community. (Staff Contact: Brandon Miles and Hossein Ajideh, Public
Works Department).
Staff's Recommendation: Receive the presentation and provide feedback.
Engineering Manager Hossein Ajideh and Associate Engineer Brandon Miles presented the
report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of the City Clerk).
The Commission received the presentation by Engineering Manager Ajideh and Associate
Engineer Miles.
3. FISCAL YEAR 2022-23 GROWTH MANAGEMENT PLAN/GENERAL PLAN ANNUAL MONITORING
REPORT CIRCULATION SECTION: ROADWAY LEVEL OF SERVICE ANALYSIS -Support staff's
recommendation to the City Council to receive and file the Growth Management Plan/General
Plan Annual Monitoring Report Circulation Section, prepared pursuant to Carlsbad Municipal
Code, § 21.90.130(d) and Gov. Code § 65400. (Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt, Public Works
Department).
Staff's Recommendation: Support staff's recommendation.
Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Nathan Schmidt and Associate Engineer Nick
Gorman presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file in the Office of
the City Clerk).
The Commission received the presentation by Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager
Schmidt and Associate Engineer Gorman.
In response to Commissioner Newlands' inquiry regarding a former Commission member's
comment, Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Schmidt explained it is the city's
standard practice not to comment on pending litigation. In this case, the Superior Court
ultimately found in the city's favor. However, because the case is currently the subject of an
appeal, staff will not comment further.
Motion by Commissioner Kohl, seconded by Commissioner Proulx to support staff's
recommendation to the City Council to receive and file the Growth Management Plan/General
Plan Annual Monitoring Report Circulation Section, prepared pursuant to Carlsbad Municipal
Code,§ 21.90.130(d) and Gov. Code§ 65400. Motion carried, 6/0.
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 18 of 20
June 3, 2024 Traffic Safety & Mobility Regular Meeting Page 3
4. REMOVING THE COLLEGE BOULEVARD AND PALOMAR AIRPORT ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
PROJECT FROM THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND THE ASSOCIATED LEVEL OF
SERVICE DEFICIENCY DECLARATION AND REVISING THE MELROSE DRIVE AND PALOMAR
AIRPORT ROAD IMPROVEMNTS PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK -Receive a report and make a
recommendation to the City Council to adopt a resolution authorizing:
1) Removal of College Boulevard and Palomar Airport Road Growth Management Plan Vehicular
Level of Service Deficiency Declaration and removal of the Associated Improvements Project No.
6028 from the Capital Improvement Program; and
2) Revising the scope of work of the Melrose Drive and Palomar Airport Road Improvements,
Capital Improvement Program, Project No. 6034. (Staff Contact: Tom Frank and Nathan Schmidt,
Public works Department).
Staff's Recommendation: Support staff's recommendation.
Transportation Director/City Engineer Tom Frank and Transportation Planning & Mobility
Manager Nathan Schmidt presented the report and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation (on file
in the Office of the City Clerk).
The Commission received the presentation by Transportation Director/City Engineer Frank and
Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Schmidt.
Commissioner Penseyres' recommended considering options to make the bike lane along
Melrose Drive and College Avenue safer for cyclists including widening the bike lane where
feasible and providing clear delineation of the conflict zone between bicyclists and pedestrians
at the southbound approach to Palomar Airport Rd. City Traffic Engineer John Kim explained
that the transition angle would stay the same but with the decrease in vehicle lanes, there is the
opportunity to add a buffer to the existing bike lane. He further explained that they could
highlight the transition area/conflict zone with the dashed green striping.
Commissioner Penseyres requested that staff consider making the bike lane transition angle
along Melrose Drive and Palomar Airport Road as straight as possible.
Motion by Commissioner Kohl, seconded by Commissioner Penseyres to support staff's
recommendation to the City Council to adopt a resolution; 1) Removal of College Boulevard and
Palomar Airport Road Growth Management Plan Vehicular Level of Service Deficiency
Declaration and removal of the Associated Improvements Project No. 6028 from the Capital
Improvement Program; and
2) Revising the scope of work of the Melrose Drive and Palomar Airport Road Improvements,
Capital Improvement Program, Project No. 6034. Motion carried, 6/0.
CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER COMMENTS:
Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Schmidt spoke about the free bike valet the city,
partnering with the San Diego County Bike Coalition, is offering for several summer events, including
Art in the Village on June 23 in Downtown Carlsbad and all nine of the TGIF Concerts in the Parks.
He further added that the TGIF June concerts are on June 21 and June 28 at Stagecoach Community
Park.
Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Schmidt spoke about the Safe Driving Workshop the
city's Senior Center and the American Automobile Association (AAA) will be hosting that includes
tips and resources for older adults and their families. June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 19 of 20
June 3, 2024 Traffic Safety & Mobility Regular Meeting Page 4
He further added that the workshop is currently at capacity but wanted to share it as a resource.
Transportation Planning & Mobility Manager Schmidt spoke about the 55+ Bike and E-bike Webinar
that the City of Encinitas will be hosting on June 13, 2024, and a Community Cycling Class on June
22, 2024, for more information and to register, please visit encinitasca.gov/ebikes.
COMMISSION COMMENTARY AND REQUESTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS:
In response to Commissioner Kohl's inquiry regarding whether there is a program to identify which
pedestrian signals do not have a countdown, specifically on Calle Barcelona, and if it is possible to
add them, City Traffic Engineer Kim responded that staff did not have a chance to investigate that
yet.
Commissioner Penseyres' commented on the Safe Driving Workshop and recommended that they
inform drivers how to make a legal right-hand turn from the right-hand turning lane and left crosses.
ADJOURNMENT: Chair Coelho adjourned the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission Regular Meeting
on June 3, 2024, at 5:46 p.m. ~
Lovelynne Magalued
Minutes Clerk
June 2, 2025 Item #2 Page 20 of 20
Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and
Pedestrian Improvements
Project No. 6004 - Segment 3
Brandon Miles, Associate Engineer
June 2, 2025
2
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Support staff’s recommendation to the City
Council to approve the plans and
specifications of the Avenida Encinas Coastal
Rail Trail – Segment 3, Capital Improvement
Program, Project No. 6004
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
3
TODAY’S PRESENTATION
Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements
This project has been separated to expedite project schedule, manage
environmental review, right-of-way acquisition, utility coordination,
and to meet Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant deadline
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
4
Segment 1 - Cannon Rd to Palomar
Airport Rd – Completed
Segment 2 - Poinsettia Coaster
Station to Carlsbad Blvd – In
construction
Segment 3 - Palomar Airport Rd to
Poinsettia Coaster Station – Presented
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
5
BACKGROUND
•Coastal Rail Trail (CRT) is a regional bikeway that includes a 44-mile
regional bikeway that connects six coastal cities throughout San
Diego County
•Project constructs 2.5 miles of enhanced bicycle and pedestrian
facilities, enhanced intersection treatments for improved safety,
and traffic calming with road lane realignment
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail
Segment 3
N
NCTD Poinsettia Coaster Station
Palomar Airport Road
6
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
7
Segment 3 - Status
•Project is 100%-complete with engineering
design
•Currently in environmental review phase
•Coordinating with utility companies
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
8
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
This project includes:
•Provide new sidewalks
•Enhanced buffered bike lanes
•Raised medians
•Enhanced pedestrian crosswalks
Proposed Improvements
9
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
10
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
11
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
12
Next Steps
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
•Staff will
–Finalize project plans, specifications and cost estimate
•Request City Council to
–Approve plans and specifications and authorize for bids late 2025
–Request City Council to award a construction
contract early 2026
13
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Support staff’s recommendation to the City
Council to approve the plans and
specifications of the Avenida Encinas Coastal
Rail Trail – Segment 3, Capital Improvement
Program, Project No. 6004
ITEM 2: COASTAL RAIL TRAIL – SEGMENT 3
Thank you