Proving once again that Carlsbad, California is a city owned and operated by a cartel of those well over 50 years of age, the City has shamelessly announced that (after decades of ignoring skateboarders in Carlsbad) the City Council has approved locations for the “design and construction” of eight new, outdoor pickleball courts and NOT ONE new skateboard park. Not one.
When approving the master plan last September, the City Council considered how to best meet the growing demand for pickleball courts, ultimately deciding against converting existing tennis courts or creating shared courts, even though those options could be completed more quickly than designing and constructing new pickleball courts. Feedback from tennis players and pickleball players alike led the City Council to opt for new, dedicated pickleball courts. The proposed eight courts will take about two years to complete.
Guess the pickleball players are loud in more ways than one. For the official word from the City of Carlsbad, please follow the jump.
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Have a problem that needs a solution? First thing you need is money. And thanks to a vote by the Carlsbad City Council last night (August 30, 2022) the City of Carlsbad, through its “state of emergency” proclamation, now has $2 million more to put toward making our streets safer for everyone. . . even entitled, belligerent drivers who believe that anything on the road that is not a speeding car is a nuisance.
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Negotiating Carlsbad’s Oddest Intersection
by The Editors on April 4, 2023
The City of Carlsbad is doing their best in mitigating traffic issues around town. They’ve developed training programs for e-bikes, handed out Safer Together Slow Down Carlsbad signs, and even declared a state of local emergency when it comes to traffic problems. But one effort stands out as their oddest work yet. And that is the intersection of Valley Street and Tamarack Avenue.
Located at the southeast corner of Valley Middle School the intersection is jammed morning and afternoon by kids walking to and from school, parents driving their kids to and from school, and angry commuters just trying to get up or down Tamarack. It obviously needed some kind of traffic solution, but what the City came up with is one of the most confusing, least understood traffic lights in all of Carlsbad. In fact, it is the first such intersection application in the City. It’s called a “pedestrian hybrid signal” a.k.a. Hawk signal.
The lights only function when a pedestrian presses the button to cross the street. The rest of the time the signals simply tower over the intersection like loitering giants with nothing to do. During the morning and afternoon school commute, however, the lights blast out a nearly unintelligible series of red and yellow lights. Sometimes blinking, other times solid. But with nary a green light to be seen.
The City of Carlsbad should have known their solution to the intersection was a failure when they were forced to implement an extensive educational campaign (including light boards on both sides of the intersection) explaining how drivers should use it. Sadly, few paid attention to the educational materials and now that the light boards are gone most drivers continue to be mystified by how to proceed through the intersection once a pedestrian has pressed the crossing button.
So, to help everyone out. Here’s how it works.
It’s that simple. Any questions? Here’s the graphic if you’re a visual learner.
The oddest part about the entire solution is that a simple three-way stop i.e. adding stop signs on both directions of Tamarack Avenue, would have solved most all of the intersection’s problems. City Staff did not think that was a good idea. Sadly, they were wrong.
[Editors Note: Last night (April 3, 2023) the City of Carlsbad Traffic and Mobility Commission met to update everyone on general traffic issues and specifically hear a report from City Staff on how the intersection of Tamarack Avenue and Valley Street is working. As is usually the case, City Staff believes that what the City has done is the right thing and their report seemed overly positive. To hear the City report and see the comment from one person Click here.]
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