City staff propose five school-area crossings; commissioners approve forwarding improvements
March 10, 2026 | Encinitas, San Diego County, California
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City traffic staff outlined a five-site Safe Routes to School package at the March 9 Mobility and Traffic Safety Commission meeting, proposing marked crossings, ADA curb ramps and rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) at school-area locations across Encinitas.
"We identified five locations that we could implement these improvements on," the city traffic engineer, Abe, said, listing El Camino Real at Crest Drive, a relocated crossing to Bridal Lane and Birmingham, Morning Sun Drive & Springwood Lane, Requesa Street at Beach Street, and Glaucus Street on North Vulcan Avenue to support the new Vulcan path. The package is intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety near schools.
Abe said the procurement price for a double-sided RRFB device is typically about $7,000 9,000; once ADA curb ramps and other physical improvements are included, an installed site is often nearer to $20,000. Staff told the commission the city's Safe Routes to School fund is an annual allocation of about $200,000 that is used across many small and medium projects; some of the five-site engineering and right-of-way work mean the larger package involves costs beyond a single-year allotment.
Commissioners questioned a proposed relocation of a crosswalk from the Birmingham/Le Gay intersection to Bridal Lane, with staff explaining safety reasons: the original site is an uncontrolled intersection on a vertical and horizontal curve with higher operating speeds, whereas the suggested relocation would direct pedestrians to a stop-controlled crossing and reduce the risk of a false sense of safety at a non-controlled crosswalk.
Public commenters who live near the Birmingham/Bridal location supported the crosswalk and urged additional calming measures such as narrower lanes or speed cushions. The commission moved and seconded a recommendation to advance the five improvements; staff will return with more detailed cost breakdowns, construction timing and location-level analysis.
The commission and staff also discussed sequencing and frequency of smaller school-area requests: staff said they process some 5000 resident requests monthly and will provide a more comprehensive list of ongoing small- and large-scale projects in upcoming monthly updates.
"We identified five locations that we could implement these improvements on," the city traffic engineer, Abe, said, listing El Camino Real at Crest Drive, a relocated crossing to Bridal Lane and Birmingham, Morning Sun Drive & Springwood Lane, Requesa Street at Beach Street, and Glaucus Street on North Vulcan Avenue to support the new Vulcan path. The package is intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety near schools.
Abe said the procurement price for a double-sided RRFB device is typically about $7,000 9,000; once ADA curb ramps and other physical improvements are included, an installed site is often nearer to $20,000. Staff told the commission the city's Safe Routes to School fund is an annual allocation of about $200,000 that is used across many small and medium projects; some of the five-site engineering and right-of-way work mean the larger package involves costs beyond a single-year allotment.
Commissioners questioned a proposed relocation of a crosswalk from the Birmingham/Le Gay intersection to Bridal Lane, with staff explaining safety reasons: the original site is an uncontrolled intersection on a vertical and horizontal curve with higher operating speeds, whereas the suggested relocation would direct pedestrians to a stop-controlled crossing and reduce the risk of a false sense of safety at a non-controlled crosswalk.
Public commenters who live near the Birmingham/Bridal location supported the crosswalk and urged additional calming measures such as narrower lanes or speed cushions. The commission moved and seconded a recommendation to advance the five improvements; staff will return with more detailed cost breakdowns, construction timing and location-level analysis.
The commission and staff also discussed sequencing and frequency of smaller school-area requests: staff said they process some 5000 resident requests monthly and will provide a more comprehensive list of ongoing small- and large-scale projects in upcoming monthly updates.
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