ENCINITAS — Encinitas residents continue to pressure the City Council to declare a road safety state of emergency, after city leaders committed to bringing forward a discussion in June.
At the City Council’s Aug. 13 meeting, five locals called for the declaration of a state of emergency during the public comment portion. An additional 13 commenters highlighted roadway concerns around bicycle infrastructure, speeding, and pedestrian safety.
Before its scheduled July recess, at the June 25 Special Joint City Council and Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission Meeting, Council Member Joy Lyndes made a motion to declare a roadway safety state of emergency.
The council was unable to formally declare the state of emergency at that meeting as it had not been included on the agenda, but instead the council unanimously voted to add the state of emergency to the next meeting’s agenda for consideration. That result received applause from the attendees in the room.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first opportunity for the council to formally consider the state of emergency declaration since unanimously agreeing to do so. However, that road safety item was not on the agenda, nor was it on the agenda for the following Aug. 20 meeting.
Laura Van Dusen was one of several locals on Aug. 12 who called for a roadway safety state of emergency, noting that four pedestrian and biker fatalities have happened this year, including that of Emery Chalekian. The 12-year-old girl, who was a student at Park Dale Lane Elementary School, was fatally struck by a vehicle on April 25 when walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Encinitas Boulevard and Village Square Drive.
“All were vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists – struck and killed on our streets this calendar year,” Van Dusen said. “At your last meeting, the council voted to agendize this emergency declaration. And yet tonight, it is not on the agenda, nor is it on next week’s agenda. That is disheartening and deeply concerning.”
“Cars, bicycles and pedestrians need safe, predictable and clearly designed routes so that everyone can travel without fear or unnecessary risk,” she continued. “We need decisive leadership.”
Van Dusen was one of over a dozen people in attendance on Wednesday who wore yellow t-shirts with the name “Emery” featured within a heart.
Bridget Chalekian, Emery’s mother, said at the meeting that she hoped the city would rename Village Square Drive to Emery’s Crossing in order to both “memorialize where she was killed and to become a physical reminder that children walk these streets and deserve to be safe.”
“We believe this gesture would bring a measure of comfort to our family and to all who grieve her and perhaps even encourage greater caution and safety at that intersection,” Bridget said.
John Chalekian, Emery’s father, said continuing to speak publicly about his daughter’s death was “extremely painful.”
“We’re happy to sit with anybody and share our grief,” John said. “But we’ll continue to do everything we possibly can to not have to sit with another family and empathize with them and their grief. We hope our community can use Emery’s life and death as an opportunity to move the city forward.”
The city council did not address the calls for the declaration of a state of emergency at the Aug. 13 meeting.
The city last declared a road safety state of emergency in the summer of 2023, after 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman was struck and killed while riding an e-bike along El Camino Real.
The Chalekian family filed a Government Tort Claim against the City of Encinitas on July 3, seeking damages in excess of the $35,000, pending future investigation and analysis. In the claim, the Chalekians said they intend to file suit against the city for the death of their daughter.
“Emery Chalekian’s death was caused by the City of Encinitas’s failure to implement adequate pedestrian safety measures at the intersection on Encinitas Boulevard,” the claim said.
“The lawsuit will likely bring causes of action under the Government Code for negligence, dangerous condition of public property, failure to warn, and failure to discharge mandatory duties, among causes of action,” it said. “The general premise of these causes of action are pedestrian safety at the intersection, whether by design, warning, or changed conditions.”
In a written statement, the city of Encinitas said there are multiple ongoing projects and other efforts aimed at improving road safety.
“As to the unfortunate pedestrian fatality incident occurring on Encinitas Boulevard in April 2025, the City is aware that the law enforcement investigation is continuing and that no report detailing the findings or conclusions of such investigation have been produced to date,” the city said. “To the extent that a claim has been presented to the City in connection with that incident the City cannot comment on the pending claim and threat of litigation.”
