Encinitas City Council to consider new bike lanes

Encinitas cyclists urged the City Council to hold a public workshop about proposed bike lane upgrades before considering the new lanes at next week’s meeting.

The council is set to vote on a proposal to create a protected bike way, which would separate cyclists from motor vehicles, on the 101 through Cardiff and across the lagoon, from Chesterfield Drive south to Solana Beach.

Encinitas resident Michael Von Neumann was one of multiple residents who spoke in favor of taking additional measures, such as lowering speeds of traffic.

“I think the city has the capacity and should have the will to do so,” he said.

The city currently has Class II bike lanes along that stretch of road, which means the lanes are adjacent to car lanes without any separation.

“It’s abundantly clear to many of us who are recreational cyclists that we’d like to feel safe riding kids to school, the beach, dinner, or work,” Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear wrote in a blog post. “And the typical road infrastructure of painted bike lanes next to speeding traffic doesn’t make us feel safe enough to choose to ride a bike, especially with a child on board.”