Carlsbad again has reversed its decision on a proposed roundabout, this time for one approved in 2018 to replace traffic lights at the intersection of Carlsbad Boulevard and Cannon Road.
Instead it will keep the signals and proceed with a plan to install the first sidewalks and other improvements along several blocks in that stretch of the boulevard, also known as Pacific Coast Highway. The route through the Terramar neighborhood is heavily used by beachgoers, joggers, cyclists and sightseers.
Earlier this year, in April, the City Council unanimously voted not to proceed with a roundabout approved years earlier for Tamarack Avenue and Carlsbad Boulevard. Both decisions followed increasing concerns from residents about the safety and construction costs of roundabouts.
Transportation Director and City Engineer Tom Frank outlined three options Tuesday at a meeting of the City Council: 1) confirm the 2018 design with a roundabout for an estimated construction cost of $19.4 million; 2) resurface and restripe the roadway and add sidewalks at a cost of $3 million to $5 million; or 3) only resurface and restripe the road at a cost of $1 million to $1.5 million.
Steve Linke, a former member of the city’s Traffic Safety and Mobility Commission, presented data he’s collected from the Carlsbad Police Department to show the city’s only other roundabout on Carlsbad Boulevard, installed in 2014 at State Street near the Oceanside border, has become the city’s most hazardous intersection.
“Given the crash history … (the plan without the roundabout) will be the safest,” Linke said. “It’s also the best for emergencies and access by local residents, and provides familiar controlled crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. And it will save up to $14 million or more.”
Professional planners have long lauded roundabouts as a way to reduce speeds and lessen the chance of collisions, especially those with serious injuries or fatalities. However, residents have increasingly pushed back with concerns about collisions, often blamed on impaired drivers or those unfamiliar with the intersection.
The council voted 4-1 Tuesday for the option with sidewalks and no roundabout. Blackburn voted no, after he said he would prefer no roundaout and no sidewalks.
“That west side has not had a sidewalk since the beginning,” Blackburn said. “I like the feel, that beachy feel of it not being a sidewalk.”
At the request of Councilmember Melanie Blackburn, Fire Chief Mike Calderwood confirmed that the Fire Department had “some serious concerns” about installing a roundabout at Cannon or Tamarack.
Both locations are near a temporary fire station the department has on the former power plant property owned by San Diego Gas & Electric Co. just north of Cannon. A final location for an expected permanent station to replace the temporary one has not been chosen, but it is likely to remain close to the intersection.
“It could impede emergency response times,” Calderwood said of the roundabout, adding that while they might be good at some intersections, Cannon might not be the best place for one.
Frank said a more detailed design for the remaining changes, with multiple options for sidewalks on the east and west sides of the road, will be brought to the council by the end of this year. The project could go out for construction bids late next year.
The city has already appropriated $12.1 million for the project from traffic impact fees paid by developers, general capital construction funds, TransNet funds and public facilities fees, according to a staff report. About $2.3 million has been spent to date, leaving an unspent balance of about $9.8 million.
The project is part of a “liveable streets” program the city has been working on since 2013. The goal is to improve access to the coast with better stairways, safer crosswalks, wider, more protected bike lanes, and roads more easily shared by multiple means of transportation.