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Home My WebLink About2025-11-03; Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission; 05; Tamarack Avenue Restriping PlansMeeting Date: Nov. 3, 2025 To: Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission Staff Contact: Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager nathan.schmidt@carlsbadca.gov, 442-339-2734 Subject: Tamarack Avenue Restriping Plans Recommended Action Support staff’s recommendation to implement the proposed conceptual restriping plan for Tamarack Avenue between Carlsbad Village Drive and Cheshire Avenue as part of the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program. Summary In 2024, the City Council approved the Hope Elementary School Safe Routes to School Plan, which included both near-term and long-term safety improvements around the school. As part of that action, Council directed staff to incorporate roadway restriping enhancements along Tamarack Avenue into the city’s 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program. This item follows up on that recommendation by presenting the proposed restriping concept for Tamarack Avenue from Carlsbad Village Drive to Cheshire Avenue. The improvements are designed to enhance the existing bicycle lanes, improve lane consistency and maintain all existing on-street parking along Tamarack Avenue. Importantly, no on-street parking removal is proposed. Maintaining parking availability was a key concern raised during both the Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission and City Council discussions of the Safe Routes to School Plan. Discussion The Hope Elementary School Safe Routes to School Plan identified roadway striping enhancements as part of a phased approach to improving safety and multimodal access. The Council-approved plan called for implementing striping modifications concurrent with the 2026 resurfacing project to reduce costs and expedite delivery. Existing Conditions Tamarack Avenue provides primary access to Hope Elementary School and functions as a key north–south neighborhood connector with a posted speed limit of 35 mph. Existing Class II bike lanes extend between Carlsbad Village Drive and Chatham Road. From Chatham Road through the school frontage to Cheshire Avenue, the bike lanes transition to a Class III bike route with TRAFFIC SAFETY & MOBILITY COMMISSION Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 1 of 8 shared lane markings (sharrows). North of Cheshire Avenue, the Class II bike lanes resume and continue along the remaining segment of Tamarack Avenue. Proposed Improvements Based on available right-of-way and roadway width, the restriping plan divides Tamarack Avenue into three segments: Segment A – Chatham Road to Carlsbad Village Drive • Expand existing 5-foot-wide bike lanes to 7 feet with 3-foot buffers. • Provide 10-foot travel lanes in each direction. Segment B – Chatham Road to North School Driveway • No changes proposed. The existing layout will be retained to preserve school frontage operations and all on-street parking. Segment C – North School Driveway to Cheshire Avenue • Provide a 7-foot parking aisle, then in the southbound direction only provide a climbing bike lane consisting of 2-foot buffer adjacent to the parking aisle, 4-foot bike lane, and 10-foot travel lanes in each direction with 7-foot parking aisle. • The southbound bike lane is provided to accommodate the uphill grade, where cyclists generally travel at lower speeds and experience greater difficulty sharing the lane with vehicles. Due to the limited roadway width, sharrows are provided in the northbound direction, where cyclists can travel at higher speeds downhill along this short segment. It should be noted that no parking removal is required to implement these improvements. This cross section represents a balanced approach that supports bicyclists’ safety and comfort while preserving essential parking relied upon by school staff and families. Design Considerations • Safety: Buffered bike lanes and consistent 10-foot travel lanes help calm traffic and enhance visibility of bicyclists and pedestrians. • Parking preservation: Maintaining existing on-street parking responds directly to prior community input and was central to the Council’s 2024 direction. • Constructability: All improvements can be achieved within existing curb-to-curb width using striping only where no curb, sidewalk, or drainage modifications are required. • Phasing: Construction will occur in coordination with the FY 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program. Community Engagement Community and school outreach conducted during the Safe Routes to School Plan identified parking, pick-up/drop-off circulation and bicyclist visibility as primary issues. The proposed restriping addresses these through improved delineation without reducing available parking. Prior engagement outcomes that guided this concept include: • The Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission’s recommendation to modify earlier bike lane proposals to preserve curb parking. Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 2 of 8 • The City Council’s direction in 2024 to defer removal of parking and instead implement striping changes with resurfacing. • Staff collaborated with the Principal of Hope Elementary on the proposed roadway striping revisions, who has expressed support for the changes. Next Steps City Council approval will be required for the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program, which will include the proposed Tamarack Avenue restriping improvements as part of the overall resurfacing package. Exhibits 1. Tamarack Avenue Restriping Concept Plans Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 3 of 8 Exhibit 1 Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 4 of 8 Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 5 of 8 Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 6 of 8 Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 7 of 8 Nov. 3, 2025 Item #5 Page 8 of 8 From:Jason Szymanski To:Traffic Subject:Agenda Topic 5 - Support for Dedicated Bike Path to Hope Elementary Date:Monday, November 3, 2025 12:58:48 PM Hello, As a Carlsbad resident who bikes daily with my 10-year-old daughter to Hope Elementary, Iwant to express my full support for the City’s efforts to create a dedicated bike path to the school. Currently, there are no safe options for accessing Hope Elementary by bike. The designated bike lane merges into a sharrow that is consistently blocked by a long line of cars waiting fordrop-off. In addition, cars parked along the curb leave cyclists with no choice but to ride against oncoming traffic — a highly unsafe situation for both children and adults. I also encourage the City and School District to review the current drop-off and pick-up process. The second striped lane within the school parking lot could be better utilized to easecongestion. Doing so would help reduce bottlenecks and discourage impatient drivers from illegally passing in the opposing lane — a recurring hazard for cyclists traveling to school. Thank you for your consideration, and I greatly appreciate any steps the City can take to help expedite this much-needed project. Best regards, Jason C. Szymanski3546 Hastings Drive Carlsbad, CA 92010 CAUTION: Do not open attachments or click on links unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Tamarack Ave. Restriping Plan Nathan Schmidt, Transportation Planning and Mobility Manager November 3, 2025 RECOMMENDED ACTION Support staff’s recommendation to implement the proposed conceptual restriping plan for Tamarack Avenue between Carlsbad Village Drive and Cheshire Avenue as part of the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program. ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 2 •City Council approved the Hope Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan (October 2024) •Council directed staff to include Tamarack Avenue restriping in the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program •Current item: Proposed restriping concept for Tamarack Ave •Goals: •Enhance bicycle lanes •Improve lane consistency •Maintain all existing on-street parking •Preserving parking was a key community priority ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 3 BACKGROUND EXISTING CONDITIONS •35 MPH posted speed limit; 25 MPH school zone when children are present •On-Street parking available on both sides between Chatham Rd. and Cheshire Ave. •On-street Parking primarily utilized by school staff and parents. ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 4 HOPE ELEMENTARY CHESHIRE AVE. Class-II Bike Lanes Class-II Bike Lanes Class-III Bike Route (Sharrows) •2026 Resurfacing Program will resurface Tamarack Ave. north of Carlsbad Village Drive. ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 5 PROPOSED RESURFACING TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. Looking North, North of Carlsbad Village Dr. 7 Looking North at Chatham Rd. TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. •Expand existing 5-foot-wide bike lanes to 7 feet with 3-foot buffers. •Provide 10-foot travel lanes in each direction. 8 ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. •Expand existing 5-foot-wide bike lanes to 7 feet with 3-foot buffers. •Provide 10-foot travel lanes in each direction. 9 ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. 10 TAMARACK AVE. CHATHAM RD. TO NORTH SCHOOL DWY. (NO RESTRIPING CHANGES) 11 TAMARACK AVE. SCHOOL DWY. TO CHESHIRE AVE. Looking North at School Driveway Looking North at Cheshire Ave. •7-ft parking aisles maintained on both sides •Southbound (uphill): Buffered climbing bike lane for cyclists •Northbound (downhill) sharrows provided due to limited width, higher downhill speeds for bikes 12 ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. 13 ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING TAMARACK AVE. CARLSBAD VILLAGE DR. TO CHATHAM RD. •7-ft parking aisles maintained on both sides •Southbound (uphill): Buffered climbing bike lane for cyclists •Northbound (downhill) sharrows provided due to limited width, higher downhill speeds for bikes •Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission recommended modifying earlier bike lane concepts to preserve curb parking •City Council (2024) directed staff to defer parking removal and include striping changes with the resurfacing program •Hope Elementary Principal collaborated with staff and supports the proposed revisions ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 14 PRIOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The proposed restriping improvements will be included in the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program, with the overall resurfacing package to be presented to City Council for final approval. ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 15 NEXT STEPS RECOMMENDED ACTION Support staff’s recommendation to implement the proposed conceptual restriping plan for Tamarack Avenue between Carlsbad Village Drive and Cheshire Avenue as part of the 2026 Roadway Resurfacing Program ITEM 5: TAMARACK RESTRIPING 16