ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) — The City of Encinitas plans to reduce speed limits on dozens of streets to make the roads safer.
This change comes after multiple fatal accidents over the past year.
Encinitas Mayor Tony Kranz said reducing the speed limits is part of the emergency declaration the city issued over e-bikes last year after a 15-year-old boy was hit and killed by a van while riding his bike on El Camino Real near Santa Fe Avenue.
"It's a community of people that are concerned about young people and their safety," Kranz said.
Another tragedy happened several months prior, where a man was hit and killed by a car while trying to walk across the street at Encinitas Blvd. and Coast Highway 101.
Under the ordinance, the speed limits for busy corridors like Coast Highway 101, which is currently 30 mph, Encinitas Blvd and El Camino Real will be lowered by five mph.
Residential roads like Hygeia Avenue, Union Street, and Ocean View Avenue will be reduced to 20 mph.
Most residential roads are currently 25 mph.
"I think that's a good idea, but I think that it has to be done in concert with everything else," Diane Mandle said
Mandle walks Hygeia Avenue often.
Students attending Paul Ecke-Central Elementary School nearby also use the road.
Mandle said kids and others who use e-bikes also need to slow down.
“How about using hand signals? How about not just buzzing through stop signs? It's crazy, and it's very scary to watch," she said.
The declaration also called for e-bike education and more enforcement of regulations.
Kranz said the reduced speed limits are expected to be effective in July.
While 5 miles does not seem like a lot, Kranz said it can make a difference.
"Every mile per hour slower increases the likelihood of survivability," Kranz said.
