Round and round the Barrio will go
Carlsbad will begin construction on a series of traffic circles to improve traffic flow and safety; City Council hits the brakes on lane reductions on El Fuerte
CARLSBAD — A series of traffic circles is set for construction by summer as the City Council approved advertising bids for its long-awaited Barrio Traffic Circles Project during Tuesday’s meeting.
The project has two phases with the first including installing the traffic circles at five intersections in the Barrio neighborhood south of Carlsbad Village Drive. In addition to the circles, the city will also install new water and sewer pipes followed by the second phase, which includes curb extensions at two intersections.
The Barrio project is one of several planned for Carlsbad to install traffic circles and roundabouts to slow traffic, generate better flow and enhance safety. Other cities have also incorporated installing more traffic circles and roundabouts such as Encinitas, Oceanside and San Marcos.
Regardless, several concerns were raised by the council and one resident during the meeting, while many Barrio residents are cautious about the enhancements. Those concerns center on losing 46 parking spaces, development’s role and, for one resident, the potential of losing his driveway.
“I’m not a fan of roundabouts or traffic circles,” Mayor Keith Blackburn said. “People love them, but I’ve heard concerns about parking.”
The traffic circles will be installed at the intersections of Pine Avenue and Madison Street, Pine and Harding Street, Oak Avenue and Jefferson Street, Roosevelt Street and Chestnut Avenue and Madison and Chestnut.
According to Jeff Murphy, director of Community Development, said three current residential development projects do not require on-site parking due to Assembly Bill 2097. The law bans parking requirements for any project within one-half mile of a major transit station, which, in this case, is the Carlsbad Village Transit Station.
Murphy said several other projects will also incur more street parking. He said three single-family homes are being rebuilt with accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs on those properties. He said under state law, ADUs or JADUs are not required to have on-site parking.
As for street parking, Tom Frank, the city’s transportation director, said his department is conducting a review of the Barrio to locate more spaces. He said one challenge is the state’s new Daylighting Law (AB 413).
The law prevents a vehicle from parking within 20 feet of an intersection or crosswalk (marked or unmarked) when entering. If curb extensions are present, vehicles cannot park within 15 feet of an intersection or crosswalk.
“I did summarize what the difference would be … and 20 of those 46 spaces would have been removed by the Daylighting Law regardless,” Frank explained. “It’s really only 26 spaces for the five roundabouts.”
The Daylighting Law, though, impacts the entire city, and he said the city has not yet conducted a full analysis of lost parking citywide. Frank said it’s unknown how many spaces will be lost, although the city is not planning on painting curbs red and instead are working on a case-by-case basis.
Resident John Matsey said his property Pine Avenue and Madison Street is the subject of debate. When he bought his property, he extended the driveway to be a full driveway.
Over the last two to three months, Matsey said he’s worked with engineers on the circles because they want him to take out the driveway to make room for the installation and the burden of proof is on him that his driveway has been part of his property.
“I have the proof now,” Matsey said while showing an archived document. “Here is a resolution from the City Council in 1956, which did assessment for all driveways and curbs. I’m not asking for the dismissal of the roundabout. I’m asking for help from the city to keep my driveway and the roundabout (traffic circle). We’re going to lose 10 parking spaces on that roundabout.”
Another resident, Socorro Jauregui, said the city must construct a sidewalk on Chestnut Avenue and Roosevelt Street and connect it to the Coastal Rail Trail. She said the city has been promising the sidewalk for 40 years and plan for a non-contiguous sidewalk is unacceptable.
Councilwoman Melanie Burkholder, who represents the Barrio and District 1, said traffic calming for the neighborhood has been in the works for years. She questioned and worried about the loss of street parking, noting the Barrio has a “major deficit.”
The city is also close to beginning construction on the traffic circle at the intersection of Cannon Road and Carlsbad Boulevard, Frank said. He said the city has completed 90% of the design. Also, the city is planning on installing three traffic circles along Carlsbad Boulevard south of Palomar Airport Road.
El Fuerte project
Another part of Carlsbad’s traffic plans is so-called “road diets” and targeted El Fuerte Street in Bressi Ranch. The city planned to eliminate two lanes in most sections of the four-lane road, although would only remove one northbound lane from Rancho Pancho south of Poinsettia Lane to Bressi Ranch Way.
However, residents complained loudly to the council about the action and Blackburn called for the city to amend the project, which was approved unanimously. He and Councilwoman Priya Bhat-Patel said they were inundated with emails and calls protesting the road diet.
Bhat-Patel asked Frank to return to the council with background and options on the project.
Frank said the project centered on restriping the road to reduce lanes and add bike lanes. He said it pushes vehicles to center of the road, improves line of sight, manages speeds and provides cost savings on long-term maintenance.
“We look at the traffic volumes on the streets and a lot of the streets in Carlsbad were built over capacity, so they are super wide” Frank said. “Super wide roads tend to promote higher vehicle speeds, and it’s also not cost-effective. It’s a way to manage speeds. The additional benefits is you can get more area for pedestrians and bikes.”
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