At a news conference Wednesday morning, middle school students joined city and school officials, bike and walking groups and local businesses in asking the public to take a stand on traffic safety. The City of Carlsbad is launching the new Safer Streets Together pledge campaign as part of its response to a traffic safety state of emergency that was declared following a more than 200% increase in bike and e-bike collisions since 2019. 

Since declaring a local emergency, the City of Carlsbad increased enforcement, added new lanes to over 90 miles of roadway, held training classes and educated community members about traffic safety rules. The pledge campaign is designed to encourage safe behavior on the road, such as slowing down, sharing the road and riding a bike in the same direction as traffic. 

“Public safety is a team sport, and we each need to do our part,” said City of Carlsbad Police Chief Mickey Williams. 

In rolling out the pledge, the City of Carlsbad also announced new partnerships with local businesses, schools, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and Circulate San Diego, who will in the coming months will participate in events, training workshops and other activities to help raise awareness of traffic safety. 

To take the pledge, visit carlsbadca.gov/saferstreets. The city is also encouraging residents to share their commitment by displaying yard signs and car window clings that are available for pickup at city libraries. 

On Tuesday, the City Council voted to extend the emergency an additional 60 days. The emergency was first proclaimed Aug. 23, 2022. City staff also provided the City Council with an update on actions taken to date. The City Council approved $2 million in emergency funding last August, money left over from the previous year’s budget, to pay for police overtime, street projects and a public outreach campaign.  

Progress to date 
Some of the actions completed so far include: 

The City of Carlsbad was the first in the region to pass laws specific to e-bikes, which have grown in popularity in recent years. The city is now advocating at the state level for new regulations for e-bikes, which has been a primary concern among residents.  

“E-bikes are a great way to get around, they’re good for the environment, and they take cars off the road,” said Transportation Director Tom Frank. “This is a case where the laws haven’t kept pace with technology. In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to create the safest environment possible, but even the most well-designed street will be unsafe if the users are unsafe.” 

Those who take the city’s Safer Streets Together pledge will be sent regular tips and updates to share with friends and neighbors, as well as information about city sponsored workshops and seminars on traffic safety for all ages. 

Results so far