It was completed in May, but now the Encinitas City Council is considering redesigning certain safety features of the western section of the Santa Fe Drive Corridor improvement project in Encinitas.
The area has been known to be dangerous for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. Due to community reaction and concern, they’re taking a closer look at the stretch of road in front of San Dieguito Academy High School — but not everyone is on board.
Some neighbors and locals are concerned about Santa Fe Drive being too narrow in front of an already-busy high school campus.
On the other hand, others don’t mind what is already in place and they don’t want another round of construction or for any changes to be put on taxpayers.
Whether you’re biking, driving, or walking, there are designated lanes for everyone along Santa Fe Drive from Nardo Road to Bonita Drive.
”I feel safe once I get on here because just a little bit further down, it’s very narrow and the cars are going by. You can feel the traffic more,” cyclist Olivia Wheeler said.
For cyclists like Olivia, she’s happy with the changes made here: A bike lane, sidewalk for pedestrians, and lanes for cars — all separated from each other. Keeping it as is means no more construction.
With protected bike lanes and walking paths, safety is the goal, according to the City of Encinitas. But there’s been some disagreement over what that should look like here.
“I don’t know about the parking. I hear people don’t like to back in, but I like that I have my own little lane for my bicycle,” Olivia said.
Locals that NBC 7 spoke with who did not want to go on camera say the road is too narrow, causing more congestion, especially during school hours. They also say angled “back-in” parking holds up traffic and can be unsafe.
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear worked on the project during her time as Mayor of Encinitas. She says safety was and continues to be the goal of road improvements there.
She allocated $3 million to the state budget to make these improvements. Changing them, she says, would be misguided.
“So a lot of residents that I’ve spoken with say, ‘Please do not put this corridor back under construction.’ You know this project is finally finished and it’s nice. It looks beautiful with the plants in the trees and the speeds are slower and it’s safer. So please just leave it alone,” Blakespear said.
“It’s an enormous amount of construction time and then also an enormous amount of money. So you know basically the message is don’t do that,” Blakespear said.
On Wednesday night, Encinitas City Council considered three alternative designs. Each of them would widen the road by a foot and remove the angled “back-in” parking spots. Depending on which option is picked, the cost would range from $2.8 to 3.6 million, but the city says they have the funds to do so.
The project in its entirety is not complete. The next “eastern” phase will cover Santa Fe Drive from Evergreen Drive to El Camino Real.