In a 3-1 (Barth) vote last year, the Encinitas City Council rehired Austin-Foust to do the city's general plan update traffic study. Austin-Foust was the consulting company that shepherded the city's last traffic study, which was never considered acceptable by the city council or traffic commission.

Last night, the traffic consultant spoke regarding making policy decisions to allow for the reduction in our traffic infrastructure level of service and adding roundabouts to Rancho Santa Fe road in Olivenhain. Otherwise, their lecture was pretty shallow on details.

See Also: TLB Council Meeting Report.

In a 3-1 vote last night, the Encinitas City Council rehired Austin-Foust to do the city's general plan update traffic study. Austin-Foust was the consulting company that shepherded the city's last traffic study, which was never considered acceptable by the city council or traffic commission.

See Also: TLB Council Meeting Report.

Smart Growth in Oceanside

Some comments from ETA members who attended the workshop:

I attended the SANDAG meeting on wed. It was unbelievably sophomoric-approx 6 stations with posters (like at a junior high science fair). They were eager but poorly informed or organized. The water guy-no mention of gray water use-I aksed why-they hadn't thought about it. The streets guy-I asked whether he knew about the congestion in the north county (e.g. Birmingham and SFe)-or about the residential construction out in San Marcos and San Elijo BEFORE they finished the roads-no answers and promises to look into the matter. I asked if I could email my suggestions/comments to SANDAG-nobody could provide me with either a website nor even an address to send comments.

El Camino Real is mapped as potential mixed use.

From another member:

They were not prepared for informed questions. I pushed them very hard on the use of the words "sustainability" and "smart growth." I also asked about traffic in the Santa Fe Drive corridor and about the Scripps expansion and the Hall property park. They knew nothing. I asked why infrastructure doesn't precede development and why developers don't pay for it. There were no answers. The person I was talking to admitted that they were 10 years behind in infrastructure. He said, "Isn't that better than doing nothing at all?" I said it's dumb growth. I asked if they fund any urban runoff control, such as retention basins and biofilters, on major creeks. No, but they showed me a picture of a tiny strip along one building.

I asked about areas of proposed mixed use in Encinitas. I was shown downtown Encinitas and the El Camino Real corridor. And building height? Well, low-rise to mid-rise. I asked what that means. Low-rise is 1 to 3 stories and mid-rise is 4 to 7 stories. I asked what is proposed for El Camino Real. Mid-rise!! I then asked how all the increased traffic will be handled. A "high-speed bus line." I'm not kidding. And the proposed housing density is 20 to 40 units per acre.

The clincher was when I asked about the proposed SANDAG "quality of life" tax. Nobody knew nothin'. The number of attendees was very small. I think they planned it that way.

In May 2007 the council unanimously approved a $2 million dollar contract to build two roundabouts and clean up the Leucadia Blvd./Vulcan intersection.

Among the questionable elements of the project are these two:

1. No right turn pocket on northbound Vulcan
This is the most painful intersection in Encinitas. Allowing people to escape the intersection will make a lot of people happy.

After multiple complaints from the public, the city manager directed a change to the approved design. The landscaping was removed and a right turn lane was created (see image below). The engineering department has been emailed twice asking how much this change order will cost. No response to date. (8/28/08 Update. The change order is expected to cost $25,000)

2. Fire Hydrants in the Line of Fire
Maybe the hydrants should be protected or repositioned?