ENCINITAS — A potential plan to expand Encinitas Boulevard from two to three lanes is facing opposition from some residents who want to see the city do more to protect pedestrians and cyclists, following the death of a 12-year-old girl who was struck by a vehicle in April.
The discussion arose during a joint meeting between the Encinitas City Council and the city’s Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission (MTSC) on June 25, regarding the commission’s draft 2025-26 work plan. The council reviewed the 10 recommended road infrastructure and safety projects outlined in the plan and gave feedback on which projects to prioritize.
Several community members spoke during the meeting about the need to create safer streets and slow traffic, including the family and friends of 12-year-old Emery Chalekian, a sixth-grade student at Park Dale Lane Elementary School who was killed on April 25.
Chalekian was walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of Encinitas Boulevard and Village Square Drive when a westbound Nissan Xterra collided with a southbound Ford Fusion and then struck her, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
While this was not included in the draft work plan, several residents spoke about the proposed plan to expand Encinitas Boulevard to reduce traffic congestion, which has been discussed at recent MTSC meetings as the city plans projects to fund with recently received Highway Safety Improvement Project (HSIP) grants.
Some speakers argued that this project will increase speeds and ultimately make the streets less safe for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We know that a third car lane will lead to an increased speed and prevent us from providing adequate protection to our pedestrians and our cyclists from these high-speed vehicles,” said Laura Van Dusen, a friend of the Chalekians who spoke through tears at the June 25 meeting.
City Manager Jennifer Campbell assured residents that no plans to expand Encinitas Boulevard have been finalized, and that options for utilizing HSIP funds will be presented to the City Council in August for discussion.
John Chalekian, Emery’s father, said while improvements are needed along Encinitas Boulevard, he wants to see more immediate action to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. After losing his daughter, he is also concerned for his son, who walks and bikes to school.
“Safety is not a privilege, it’s a right,” he said. “Please perform some actions quickly for the rest of our community and my 9-year-old son.”
Several residents reported seeing many drivers ignore stop signs, exceed speed limits, and engage in other hazardous behaviors on local roads.
Draft work plan
After reviewing the draft work plan, the Encinitas City Council unanimously agreed upon multiple work items and projects.
These include standardizing striping and signage at roundabouts citywide; evaluating alternative routes for walking and biking to schools off of main thoroughfares, a marked and signed pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Le Gaye and Birmingham Drive, and options for increased enforcement; identifying areas for safety improvements along Vulcan Avenue; making New Encinitas more pedestrian-friendly; creating a bike parking policy for commercial businesses; and increasing safety education citywide with a focus on electric bikes.
City leaders noted that, under the adopted budget, Encinitas will be hiring two new traffic deputies to assist with enforcement efforts. Mayor Bruce Ehlers said this is the first time in 15 years that the city has added new deputies, and that increased enforcement is a key component in addressing traffic safety.
“We have to turn all the knobs – we can’t just pick one knob or the other,” Ehlers said. “What I had felt coming into this year is, we had been turning all the structural [and] street geometry options, but we hadn’t looked at increasing enforcement.”
To facilitate further enforcement, the council also directed city staff to investigate a pilot program to install speed cameras in the city.
At the urging of residents, the City Council also unanimously agreed to bring back an item to consider a state of emergency related to roadway safety in response to the deaths on local streets over the past year.
The city last declared a 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. Residents noted that, aside from Emery Chalekian, there have been three other reported deaths in 2025 among pedestrians and cyclists.
In January, a 45-year-old cyclist was struck and killed along Encinitas Boulevard, and a 66-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed along North Coast Highway 101 in separate incidents. In March, a 60-year-old man was struck and killed in March while walking along Jupiter Street.
“We’ve had four deaths in Encinitas this year. It’s really necessary to call the public attention to the need to slow down,” said former mayor Tony Kranz.
Councilmember Joy Lyndes said she supported issuing an emergency declaration in order to address the issue of roadway safety more efficiently and effectively.
“I do want to express to the community that this rises to that higher level of a state of emergency,” Lyndes said.
She also advocated for adding an item to the MTSC work plan to assess traffic impacts in areas of new housing developments, ensuring the roads are equipped to handle the additional vehicles.
Several residents also stated that the city needs to focus on projects that encourage cars to slow down through new infrastructure and increased enforcement.
“We don’t know exactly when and where, but we do know we’ll lose more of our neighbors until speeds across Encinitas are brought down. Pleading with drivers to slow down on streets designed for high speeds is not going to do it,” said Aaron Hebshi of advocacy group Encinitas Bike Walk.
MTSC members and council members said slowing traffic can’t be the only way the city addresses this issue.
Councilmember Luke Shaffer said infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists should be focused in areas where speeds are lower, rather than in major traffic areas on main thoroughfares like Encinitas Boulevard, which should be preserved for faster travel.
Councilmember Marco San Antonio agreed, noting that currently, drivers seeking to bypass traffic are trying to detour through residential streets, which poses a significant safety risk.
“We need to push traffic into these thoroughfares. I don’t want anyone speeding into my street to get to the next street,” San Antonio said.
Commissioners said forcing cars to slow on main roads may only exacerbate the problem and urged the city not to make any reactive decisions.
“I think we need to understand that congestion drives people to have bad behaviors as drivers. As we get more congested in Encinitas, we can expect that more people will do these bad behaviors,” said Mobility and Traffic Safety Commissioner Paul Templin. “Slowing them down may create unintended consequences.”
