ENCINITAS — Encinitas is considering changes to an intersection near Park Dale Lane Elementary School ahead of an expected increase in students this fall.
The City Council also directed staff to evaluate conditions at the intersection of Park Dale Lane and Village Park Way and explore a range of long-term options, including a traffic signal. Staff will return with costs, justifications and other safety-related information for council discussion at a future meeting.
The action stemmed from an agenda item introduced by Councilmember Marco San Antonio and Deputy Mayor Jim O’Hara at the March 11 meeting. The council unanimously supported staff exploration of both short- and long-term solutions at the intersection.
O’Hara said there is added urgency to improve safety due to a planned influx of students to Park Dale Lane from Paul Ecke Central Elementary School, which is undergoing construction.
San Antonio said the issue was brought to his attention by the public, and all speakers at the meeting supported changes to the intersection.
Brad Lefkowits, a Park Dale Lane parent and candidate for San Antonio’s District 4 seat, said safety issues at the intersection occur throughout the day and year.
“I think we really need solutions here that are going to slow cars down and encourage them to stop at all times, not just pick up and drop off,” Lefkowits said.
Abigail Brown, a Village Park resident, presented a video during public comment that showed drivers ignoring stop signs and crossing guards at the intersection, and accelerating near people in crosswalks. She thanked her 9-year-old daughter for helping produce the video.
“In the short term, my hope is that we can add an additional crossing guard,” Brown said. “This will become especially important come August when half of the students from Paul Ecke attend Parkdale Lane. There will be a significant increase in the number of students walking to school as well as additional vehicle traffic coming from outside the neighborhood. This will create even more pedestrian and vehicle conflict points at the intersection.”
Brown further advocated extending the school zone to include the intersection and adding physical traffic-calming measures such as elevated crosswalks, bulb-out curb extensions, or a wider median.
“I know the right solution should come from a professional traffic engineering study and my hope is that tonight moves us towards that process,” Brown said.
Mayor Bruce Ehlers thanked Brown and her daughter for the video.
“That video is worth a million words, not just a thousand words,” he said.
Ehlers added that he would like to see solutions allowing people to help control the intersection, either through a crossing guard or a pedestrian-activated signal to alert drivers. He said a traffic light may ultimately be the right solution.
“Traffic calming or something to help control the safety at this intersection makes total sense to me,” Ehlers said. “I’ll support giving this to staff. I don’t know what the answer is and I look forward to some good discussions in the future.”
San Antonio said he has observed cars speeding down the hill and described it as “pretty crazy” how many drivers “California rolled” through stop signs rather than coming to a complete stop.
“I can understand why the crossing guards were fearing for their life as well as the kids’,” he said.
O’Hara suggested relocating one of the crossing guards from Paul Ecke to Park Dale Lane to accommodate the influx of students.
“We’re just making a resource that’s available in one spot and moving it to a place where it is needed now, but will definitely be needed then,” he said.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer said a short-term option could include having a sheriff’s deputy or a marked vehicle at the intersection.
“Obviously, long term, this is something we can talk through,” Shaffer said.
