HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-02; Traffic and Mobility Commission; ; Public Comments for Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian ImprovementsMeeting Date: May 2, 2022
To: Traffic and Mobility Commission
Staff Contact: Brandon Miles, Associate Engineer
brandon.miles@carsbadca.gov, 442-339-2745
Subject: Public Comments for Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian
Improvements
Recommended Action
Receive and consider public comments for Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian
Improvements, CIP Project No. 6004 that were inadvertently omitted from the April 4, 2022,
meeting of the Traffic & Mobility Commission.
Summary
At its meeting on April 4, 2002, the Traffic & Mobility Commission received a staff report on the
Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian Improvements. The commission voted
unanimously to support staff’s recommendation for enhanced Class II bike lanes along Avenida
Encinas.
Seven public comments were received by staff but were inadvertently not distributed to
commissioners before the April 4, meeting. The purpose of this item is to provide those
comments to commissioners and incorporate them into the record as relating to this item.
Attached to this staff report are the seven omitted public comments.
Next Steps
Staff will update the plans and prepare final documents for construction bid in August 2022.
Exhibits
1.Seven Public comments for Avenida Encinas Coastal Rail Trail and Pedestrian
Improvements that were inadvertently omitted from the April 4, 2022, Traffic &
Mobility Commission meeting.
May 2, 2022 Item #1 1
Item 1
PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR AVENIDA ENCINAS COASTAL RAIL TRAIL AND
PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS
1.Alan Feingold - I saw the plans for Encinas. Please. Enough with the “road diets.” Why are we
pandering to a small number of bicyclists over a large number of motorists? This is a major road
with access to a well patronized grocery store. Why do you want to squeeze traffic into fewer
lanes? This does not “calm” traffic. It makes drivers angrier than they already are, putting the
few bikers at risk. If you really want to make things safer, spend this money enforcing traffic
rules for bikes and e-bikes. They regularly ignore traffic signals, treating red lights and stop signs
as optional. They don’t yield to pedestrians either. Before any more money is wasted on
projects like this, start ticketing and fining bikers and e-bikers. Crack down on their abuses
before punishing drivers. Thank you.
2.Chas Wick - City Staff, I would like to please add another crossing location to item # 3 below: The
Avenida Encinas pedestrian crossing and vehicle stop signs at Portage Way / pool xing should at
least a minimum be revised to the xings like you have along Carlsbad Boulevard (101) from
Carlsbad Village Drive to Tamarack Ave. i.e. lighted crosswalks etc. Safety to all is paramount no
matter the cost. Thanks,
3.Lauren Brown - I am a resident of the San Pacifico HOA community along Avenida Encinas and
have various concerns about the proposed enhancements to Avenida Encinas between
Poinsettia and Carlsbad Blvd (Segment 2). First and foremost, the proposed changes do not take
into account the development that is proposed to occur along Avenida Encinas and Ponto Road
(namely the hotel on the southern parcel and possible future housing/retail on the northern
parcel. Reducing this section of Avenida Encinas to one lane of traffic would cause countless
issues. For example, there absolutely needs to be two lanes of traffic to turn left from Poinsettia
to Avenida Encinas to accommodate the large number of cars that frequent the Ralph's
shopping center, residents who live along Segment 2, and future developments. As it stands
today, both left hand turn lanes are often full of cars and back up almost to the intersection /
Southbound 5 on/off ramps. If this were to be reduced to one lane turning onto Avenida Encinas
(as is shown in the plans), the backup would be unmanageable and cause cars to back up across
the overpass and interfere with traffic turning on 5 North and Paseo del Norte. Furthermore,
there should be two lanes of traffic in each direction along the stretch of road in front of the
Ralphs shopping center to accommodate the high traffic area. Only having one lane will cause
interference of people who are driving past the shopping center and people who are trying to
turn into the center. For example, during the morning hours you will have cars backed up into
either the traffic lane or the new proposed bike lane waiting to turn Right on Poinsettia to get to
highway 5. There should be a crosswalk painted at the overpass above the railroad tracks near
Ponto Drive where the existing rail trail pathway exits at the staircase of the overpass.
Pedestrians often cross there today and it can be dangerous given the speed of cars coming
from either direction. There should also be a crosswalk at the shopping center driveway next to
Chase Bank. Pedestrians often do not walk all the way to the crosswalk at San Lucas Street and
instead run across the road there. Lastly, great care should be taken to enhance the crosswalk at
May 2, 2022 Item #1 2
Exhibit 1
Portage Way. Strong painting on the ground, bright lights, extra signage, etc. This is a heavily
frequented crosswalk by residents of San Pacifico who go to the pool (including a lot of children)
and vehicles often run the stop sign or do not stop fully. Given the 35mph speed limit, it causes
this to be a very dangerous crosswalk. Thank you for your consideration
4.Marco Vakili - I reside at 6474 Franciscan Rd, Carlsbad CA 92011. I have had a chance to review
the report for the above. It will be an amazing improvement to Segment 2 of Avenida Encinas. I
am asking that you consider allowing for a curb cut or two to be added within this segment 2
(either by you or added in your plan thereby allowing the land owner to easily create a curb
cut). See vacant site owned by Encinas Wastewater pictured below. I have copied Tucker who
has spoke with me on several occasions about this vacant lot and the temporary uses they have
on them to generate some $$. The temporary uses are intensive and everyone entering the site
funnels through a single curb cut right across the street from our homes. We understand the
need for Encinas Wastewater to generate some $ as they hold onto this land, however the
temporary uses do impact the surrounding areas and we are looking for ways to help mitigate
this. A second or third curb cut would be significant in addressing the intensity of traffic coming
through the single curb cut in the area you are calling segment 3. I invite you to come to the
existing curb cut and observe the activity. Thank you for your consideration.
5.Ron Granville - My wife and I are residents of the San Pacifico HOA community along Avenida
Encinas and have various concerns about the proposed enhancements to Avenida Encinas
between Poinsettia and Carlsbad Blvd (Segment 2). First and foremost, the proposed changes do
not take into account the development that is proposed to occur along Avenida Encinas and
Ponto Road (namely the hotel on the southern parcel and possible future housing/retail on the
northern parcel. Reducing this section of Avenida Encinas to one lane of traffic would cause
countless issues. For example, there absolutely needs to be two lanes of traffic to turn left from
Poinsettia to Avenida Encinas to accommodate the large number of cars that frequent the
Ralph's shopping center, residents who live along Segment 2, and future developments. As it
stands today, both left hand turn lanes are often full of cars and back up almost to the
intersection / Southbound 5 on/off ramps. If this were to be reduced to one lane turning onto
Avenida Encinas (as is shown in the plans), the backup would be unmanageable and cause cars
to back up across the overpass and interfere with traffic turning on 5 North and Paseo del Norte.
Furthermore, there should be two lanes of traffic in each direction along the stretch of road in
front of the Ralphs shopping center to accommodate the high traffic area. Only having one lane
will cause interference of people who are driving past the shopping center and people who are
trying to turn into the center. For example, during the morning hours you will have cars backed
up into either the traffic lane or the new proposed bike lane waiting to turn Right on Poinsettia
to get to highway 5. There should be a crosswalk painted at the overpass above the railroad
tracks near Ponto Drive where the existing rail trail pathway exits at the staircase of the
overpass. Pedestrians often cross there today and it can be dangerous given the speed of cars
coming from either direction. There should also be a crosswalk at the shopping center driveway
next to Chase Bank. Pedestrians often do not walk all the way to the crosswalk at San Lucas
Street and instead run across the road there. Lastly, great care should be taken to enhance the
crosswalk at Portage Way. Strong painting on the ground, bright lights, extra signage, etc. This is
May 2, 2022 Item #1 3
Exhibit 1
a heavily frequented crosswalk by residents of San Pacifico who go to the pool (including a lot of
children) and vehicles often run the stop sign or do not stop fully. Given the 35mph speed limit,
it causes this to be a very dangerous crosswalk. Thank you for your consideration,
6.Steven Stewart - I’m a local (23 year) resident and avid cyclist who recently retired from
Qualcomm. Will be watching city related activities around transportation (particularly
pedestrian and bicycle). I reviewed your plans for the subject coastal rail trail improvements. I
fully support the enhancements proposed for lane stripping. I greatly appreciate there are no
plans for bollards or other physical separation of the bike lane to traffic lane (as in Encinitas).
These have been found to be much more dangerous that simply stripping the lanes. I’ve ridden
through this corridor many times and while the stripping and lane narrowing will certainly be a
benefit, I’m grateful the city is avoiding the adding of hazardous ‘road furniture’ as other cities
have attempted. Thank you!
7.Will Rathigan - I'm writing on behalf of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition regarding item 3
of today's Traffic and Mobility Commission meeting: AVENIDA ENCINAS COASTAL RAIL TRAIL
AND PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENTS. We are very disappointed to see that the Class IV cycle
tracks originally planned for this segment of the Coastal Rail Trail have been downgraded to
buffered Class II bike lanes. Extensive research has shown that Class IV cycle tracks are up to
nine times safer than buffered bike lanes. It has also been proven that while only seven percent
of people say they're comfortable riding in Class II bike lanes, an additional 56 percent of people
say they would ride more if separated facilities like cycle tracks were available. Although
maintenance costs for cycle tracks are slightly higher, those costs pale in comparison to the
costs of maintaining regular roadway damage caused by automobiles. As a city that prioritizes
climate action and the safety of its residents, these small costs should not be a reason to settle
for less safe and less useful infrastructure designs. If you have any questions about these
comments, please reach out to me for further discussion. The Bicycle Coalition is staunchly
opposed to this modification of the initial design, and we would be very disappointed if this
section of the Coastal Rail Trail moved forward without a design that is safe for people of all
ages and abilities. Sincerely,
May 2, 2022 Item #1 4
Exhibit 1