The metropolis of Carlsbad declared a state of native emergency Tuesday for bicycle and e-bike security, following a worrying enhance in the variety of collisions.
According to the town, there have been 57 collisions involving cyclists this yr, practically matching 2020’s complete of 62 and never far behind the tempo of 2021’s 100 collisions.
Such collisions are up 233% since 2019, and metropolis officers stated in an announcement they wish to “increase attention and resources on a range of solutions including infrastructure, safety, enforcement and a focus on safe driving behavior education.”
With the declaration, Carlsbad City Manager Scott Chadwick has referred to as on sources from the town’s police, fireplace, transportation and group schooling departments to develop motion plans to be offered to the City Council Aug. 30, adopted by a complete plan on Sept. 27.
“The exponential increase in ridership, especially among young people, has significantly changed how people are using Carlsbad’s roads,” Chadwick stated in an announcement. “In addition to adding miles of new bike lanes, we’ve passed new laws, promoted awareness and ramped up enforcement. Despite these efforts, we continue to see collisions, including two tragic fatalities within the past 17 days.”
According to the town, an emergency declaration permits the town to reallocate sources, expedite sure actions and briefly bypass prolonged processes to deal with an current or imminent risk. The official declaration covers the protection of bicycles, e-bikes and different motorized units, which may embrace electrical scooters and motorized skateboards.
“This is an issue that affects every single member of our community, and it will take all of us working together to make our streets safer,” Chadwick stated.
The use of bikes and e-bikes elevated in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in December 2020, the City Council accepted a plan so as to add and broaden sidewalks and bike lanes, whereas taking steps to decelerate automobiles on streets all through Carlsbad.
In June, the council directed workers to expedite avenue initiatives in the funds. However, with tons of of miles of metropolis roads, the plan will nonetheless take a few years to finish, based on the town.
In April, the council accepted Carlsbad-specific guidelines for e-bike riders designed to offer Carlsbad cops with extra enforcement choices, together with a diversion program that provides minors the choice of finishing an e- bike security course after their first offense.
Carlsbad’s emergency declaration goes into impact instantly and will probably be in place till the Aug. 30 council assembly, when the council will think about whether or not to ratify it. If ratified, the emergency declaration would then have to be reviewed by the council each 60 days till it ends the native state of emergency.