09/28/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2022 12:06
The Carlsbad City Council voted to continue over a dozen new initiatives to address traffic safety and seek input from the community and city commissions on potential additional actions presented by city staff Tuesday.
Following a dramatic increase in collisions involving bikes and e-bikes, the City Council ratified a local emergency on traffic safety Aug. 30 and approved spending up to $2 million for immediate education, engineering and enforcement measures.
City staff committed to return Sept. 27 with a comprehensive set of options for the City Council's consideration.
Among the actions included in the City Council's motion Tuesday was asking city staff to return with a resolution adopting Vision Zero for the City Council's consideration. If the City Council adopts a Vision Zero resolution, they may also direct staff to develop an action plan for implementation, a process that could take up to one year.
Vision Zero is a national program promoting a comprehensive approach to eliminating serious traffic related injuries and deaths. Although the City of Carlsbad is already following many of the policies recommended in the Vision Zero strategy, formally adopting the zero fatalities and serious injuries goal would elevate the importance of these policies and provide a framework for the actions already underway.
Other actions following Tuesday's meeting include:
Completed to date
With the added resources, focus and flexibility made possible by the emergency declaration, the city quickly mobilized to complete or begin several immediate actions over the past 35 days:
The state of emergency proclaimed by the City Manager Aug. 23 and ratified by the City Council Aug. 30 must be reviewed by the City Council at least every 60 days.
An ongoing commitment to traffic safety
Prior to the emergency declaration, the Carlsbad City Council had already put policies in place to reflect a nationwide shift in planning roads from a focus on cars to one that considers all modes of travel.
Despite these efforts, collisions involving bikes and e-bikes have still increased significantly since 2019. Knowing students throughout Carlsbad were headed back to school in August, the city determined there was an urgent need for additional traffic safety actions, leading to the emergency proclamation.
More information
www.carlsbadca.gov/saferstreets
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