CARLSBAD — The City Council rejected a proposal to further study and redesign safety improvements along Tamarack Avenue, citing cost concerns and the number of measures already implemented along the busy thoroughfare.
The council voted 3-2 against hiring consulting firm Chen Ryan Associates to provide transportation planning, engineering design and environmental assessments for permanent physical alterations to the character of Tamarack Avenue between Carlsbad Boulevard and Carlsbad Village Drive.
Since January 2023, the city has worked to improve safety along Tamarack at certain intersections and trouble spots, installing speed tables and raised crosswalks with flashing lights, widening bicycle lanes, reducing and restriping vehicle lanes and painting green zones along the east-west corridor.
The “interim” changes, which the city reports have resulted in slower speeds and more space for pedestrians and cyclists, were part of the city’s Safer Streets Together campaign, a program launched after two fatal bicycle-vehicle collisions led the City Council to declare a temporary local traffic safety emergency in August 2022.
The city’s General Plan identifies Tamarack as one of several “transformative corridors,” providing “a network of high-quality bikeways, walking paths and transit services.” Based on this definition, the proposed Tamarack Avenue Complete Streets Plan would have entirely redesigned the roadway.
The consultant’s study and design plans were estimated at $283,241, but the actual construction cost of changes to the roadway would likely cost between $5 and $10 million, money Mayor Keith Blackburn said the city is not prepared to spend.
“In five years, we’re going to be spending more than we’re bringing in,” said Blackburn. “I look at Tamarack as it probably could use some help, but to totally revamp it at a time when we are already saying we don’t have enough money to run the city in general after a certain period of time…I have a hard time with this.”
“I’m with the mayor on this one, and the fiscal conservativeness of this,” said Councilmember Melanie Burkholder. “I just can’t see spending that money right now.”
Fiscal restrictions aside, Mayor Pro Tem Priya Bhat-Patel pointed to ongoing safety concerns for adopting the Tamarack redesign plan. The often pedestrian-heavy road connects to several schools, raising further concern about public safety awareness.
“From a safety perspective, it is important for us to invest this money and to ensure that we’re doing what we can to address the needs that we’ve had and that we’ve heard about in the past,” said Bhat-Patel. “So I’m supportive of this and looking forward to it.”
One of the critical points in the plan was reconfiguring Tamarack, identified as a “neighborhood connector street” for all modes of travel, focusing on bicyclists and pedestrians. Part of the proposal included a community engagement process throughout the Tamarack redesign, helping identify needs and priorities, providing feedback on proposed designs and a final review of the project.
“I think the residents in that area need an opportunity,” said Councilmember Carolyn Luna. “They’ve felt like they have really not had an opportunity to weigh in previously on what the improvements have been on Tamarack and I don’t think that’s right. I think that (the residents) should have this opportunity to participate in the plan.”
For some commuting residents, no additional changes are necessary along Tamarack, which provides an important east-west connection to residential, commercial, and recreational areas and school zones stretching from the coast to El Camino Real.
“I use Tamarack all the time to get to and from. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. To me, Tamarack is fine,” said resident Glen Bernard.
The city’s Safe Routes to School program, piloted at Hope Elementary School on Tamarack Avenue, is expanding to nearby Jefferson Elementary. The city is also nearing completion of designs for roundabout installations at the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard, similar to the plans for Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road, as part of safety improvements aligned with the General Plan’s policies on complete streets.
In addition, the council addressed a request from Citizens for a Friendly Airport relating to revisions to the municipal code and General Plan, accompanied by noise complaints and pollution issues.
The recommended action involved a discussion to amend zoning ordinances relating to McClellan-Palomar Airport, which included prohibiting the airport in all other zones and properties within the city and limiting any expansion within the airport’s boundaries.
Noise complaints about flight patterns over surrounding neighborhood homes have also been an ongoing issue for several residents living near the airport.
One resident expressed concern with aircraft using leaded aviation gasoline, which she believes causes deadly pollution.
According to resident and registered nurse Vanessa Forsythe, the use of leaded aviation gasoline in single-propeller planes at Palomar Airport is an urgent concern due to its effects on community health.
Blackburn forwarded a motion to continue to dig deeper into residents’ complaints and requests related to the airport. The council will revisit the issue in 60 days.
“So this action today would be to direct staff to review and investigate the requests and bring back for a future agenda those items for action, along with any analysis, any steps, potential costs and timing to implement these proposals,” said Blackburn.
The council appointed two members to the city’s Agricultural Advisory Committee, appointing longtime residents Kevin O’Neil and Lin Wei Wu.
