If you are appalled by the cycle track infrastructure on Cardiff South Beach 101 installed in 2020 and are also concerned about the similar design now under construction on Vista roads, SANDAG is now asking for comments on their Draft 2025 Regional Plan - click here (https://engage.sandag.org/public-comment-form-draft-2025-regional-plan) and select "Bikeways and Walkways" to leave a comment. Below is what I submitted. If you feel similarly (or not) make your voice heard.
This section heavily favors "protected" bike lanes (PBLs), officially CA Class IV separated bikeways. Before advocating Class IV separated bikeways countywide, reconsider the following:
• Appendix K's language effectively mandates NACTO's All Ages & Abilities guidance—implying protected bike lanes (PBLs) are required. NACTO even claims "Protected bike lanes are appropriate for all streets, in all contexts," an absolutist statement unsupported by rigorous, context-specific analysis. Local jurisdictions need flexibility to choose safer, more appropriate designs. The San Diego County Bike Coalition has published a Cycle Tracks Toolkit that can guide jurisdictions to a safe design that serves all road users.
• Widely cited safety findings (e.g., FHWA's "up to 53 % crash reduction") rest on flawed methodologies: intersection crashes are omitted; some cities (e.g., Seattle) showed no statistically significant benefit; solo‐cyclist crashes in PBLs are often unreported in California, so apparent safety gains may simply reflect underreporting.
• Cardiff South Beach cycle track (Highway 101): A five-year before-and-after study by Medak and Linke combined CCRS/SWITRS data with Encinitas Fire Dept. EMS records and used a control segment immediately north of the track. Results show a 50 % crash increase after PBL installation, while the control segment remained stable.
• The "101 Crash List", compiled by Serge Issakov ot the San Diego Bicycle Club, documents 31 crashes (21 absent from official records), including one fatality and multiple serious injuries. Applying the City of Encinitas' EPDO formula to 19 track-related crashes yields over $16 million in damage equivalents (excluding human costs). Claimed ridership gains spiked only in 2020 (likely COVID-related) and by 2024 had reverted to 2016 levels—meaning crash rates rose without sustained increases in bike volumes.
•The Cardiff 101 experience underscores that vertical separators (wheel stops + bollards) can introduce new hazards rather than eliminate them.
• Alternative designs—such as narrowing travel lanes to 10–11 ft and adding wide bike lanes with painted buffers—can improve cyclist safety and preserve vehicle capacity without the confined, hazardous spaces created by low curbs and fixed bollards. Audible edge lines for bike lanes can alert motorists to stay out of bike lanes. If true physical separation is desired, consider a Class I facility.
A blanket requirement for Class IV PBLs risks perpetuating these failures. The County should require robust crash analyses (including EMS data and control-segment comparisons) and explore lower-risk, context-sensitive treatments before mandating PBLs. Cyclists deserve genuinely safer infrastructure tailored to each roadway, not one-size-fits-all solutions.