A disliked, rubber roadway bumper system that aims to protect cyclists on Saxony Road near the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA will be torn out and replaced by a four-way stop sign, the Encinitas City Council unanimously decided Wednesday. This will likely be the first step toward a significant overhaul of the heavily trafficked roadway between Leucadia and Encinitas boulevards, council members indicated. More 4-way stop signs might even be possible. “This is kind of a start of this conversation,” Councilmember Jim O’Hara said as he promised that additional changes will come to the roadway. Among other things, he said, the YMCA is anticipating doing a parking lot project that would add a new entrance route along Saxony Road, and this could create some opportunities for additional roadway improvements. Mayor Bruce Ehlers, who lives in the Olivenhain area, said he believes he is responsible for at least four of the stop signs added to Rancho Santa Fe Drive over the years and believes those stop signs have encouraged out-of-the-area commuters to stop using that roadway and stick to Interstate 5, where he said they belong. The addition of more stop signs to Saxony Road also could reduce cut-through traffic, he said. Between Encinitas and Leucadia boulevards, Saxony Road currently has one four-way stop and two spots with flashing crosswalk beacons activated by pedestrians. The roadway’s bike lanes are a confusing mix — there’s an area with “sharrows” — spots where bikes share a vehicle lane — and there are places where there’s a designated bike lane on each side of the roadway. In some cases, the designated bike lanes are next to red curbs where vehicle parking is banned, while in other areas, curbside parking is allowed and cyclists have to maneuver out of their designed bike lane to get around the parked cars. The rubber roadway bumpers, known as a “chicane” in traffic engineering jargon, were placed as a protective measure last summer next to the bike lanes just north of the YMCA near Saxony Road’s intersection with Saxony Place. In order to accommodate the project, part of the vehicle lanes had to be curved toward the roadway center, creating an unexpected lane shift for drivers. At Wednesday’s council meeting, several area residents said cars now inadvertently run up over the bumpers late at night, creating unwanted noise. They added that they believe the project has created new problems and hasn’t improved cycling conditions. In a written statement to the city, YMCA officials also indicated that they want the bumpers’ removal, saying were surprised when the project was installed. They wanted a 4-way stop sign, but were told by city employees that it wasn’t possible “for a variety of reasons,” their letter states. A roundabout also was once proposed as an option, but the YMCA does not support that because it would be difficult for YMCA buses to navigate, their statement added. In addition to many drivers using the roadway, the section of Saxony Road near the YMCA gets a fair amount of pedestrian use, city documents indicate. The west side of the roadway has both the YMCA complex and the Paul Ecke Sports Park playing fields, while the east side is home to a large senior living facility. Some of its residents walk across the street daily to use the YMCA. A decade ago, Encinitas established a senior zone with a speed limit of 25 mph to slow vehicle traffic and make conditions safer for these pedestrians. In his request for the 4-way stop signs, O’Hara indicated that he wanted the project to include flashing crosswalk lights that would be activated by pedestrians. He said that he has since learned that those types of flashing lights are not allowed at intersections that have stop signs. ...read more read less