CARLSBAD — The city of Carlsbad will reissue a community survey about adding traffic calming measures along Celinda Drive and several other residential streets after causing some confusion among residents about the process for recommending traffic changes.
After receiving concerns about speeding on Victoria Avenue, Highland Drive, Nueva Castilla Way, Circulo Sequoia and Celinda Drive, the city collaborated with these neighborhoods to develop traffic calming plans, including the possible installation of speed cushions, traffic circles, narrowing lanes (striping) and curb extensions, according to the staff report.
Following several community meetings in each neighborhood, one of the last steps of the process is surveying residents and property owners about the proposals. The Residential Traffic Management Program, created in 2001 to “address traffic-related concerns on residential streets,” requires that most, or 67% of the individuals surveyed within the project area, support a preferred plan.
Some Celinda Drive residents took issue with city staff’s decision to round 66.67% up to 67%.
“In my mind, effectively, the city cast the deciding vote,” resident Mo Blase said.
The city sent out 165 surveys and received 96 responses, with 64 saying yes. City staff said rounding up is standard procedure since the 67% threshold would require 64.32 people to say yes, which is impossible.
“In football, I don’t know; it might be called back,” Councilmember Carolyn Luna said.
Some residents feel the traffic cushions would be unnecessary now because they’ve noticed cars driving slower, and one of the primary proponents has moved out of the area.
If the proposed traffic calming solutions aren’t effective, residents can request additional options, such as center island narrowing, raised intersections, a lateral lane shift, realigned intersections, forced turn channelization, median barriers and traffic diverters. None of the above measures have been requested or implemented since adopting the traffic calming program.
The City Council asked staff to re-survey the area and return if the 67% threshold is met.
