The city of Carlsbad declared a state of emergency Tuesday after a spike in crashes involving bikes and e-bikes that has led to calls for traffic safety changes.
the city says it’s move will increase attention and resources on a range of solutions, including infrastructure, safety, enforcement and a focus on safe-driving education.
“I hope it brings those numbers down first and foremost and by bringing public awareness to this area," Carlsbad resident Tracey Skvarek said. "Hopefully that’ll transpire onto other areas of the state and other states as well."
The city cites a 233% increase in traffic collisions involving bikes and e-bikes since 2019. Since the beginning of 2022, there have been 57 collisions involving bikes and e-bikes reported in Carlsbad. Of the collisions this year, two of have been fatal crashes, both in the past 17 days according to Carlsbad city manager Scott Chadwick.
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Christine Hawk Embree was killed Aug. 7 while riding her e-bike with her daughter near the corner of Basswood Avenue and Valley Street in Carlsbad. The following week, on Aug. 15, 68-year-old Solana Beach resident Brad Catcott and two others were seriously hurt when a motorcycle crashed into a bicycle on an ocean-front street in Carlsbad, authorities reported.
Hawk Embree's family and friends spoke with NBC 7 about their loss.
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“People say these nice things about people when they're not around, but with Christine it was so true,” Charlie Ninegar said.
In May, Carlsbad enacted a series of laws in the hopes of creating a safer environment for people in the North County city, according to city officials. The regulations targeted unsafe operators of e-bikes and bikes, as well as motorized scooters and other similar vehicles, including Segways and electrically motorized skateboards, city officials said. Violators will receive a citation or, in some cases, be offered the option to take a safety course.
The new ordinance directs operators to "ride with care and to reduce speed when needed for safety"; forbids passengers riding on handlebars or other areas of motorized devices not specifically designed for additional riders; and prohibits attaching secondary devices, like an additional bike. In addition, riders are banned from sidewalks, ditches, sports courts or gyms, and they also must get off their bikes, e-bikes and other devices on any trails narrower than five feet or if they're within 50 feet of a pedestrian or person riding on horseback.
The state of emergency will remain in place until the next city council meeting on Aug 30, when the council will consider whether to ratify it. If ratified, the declaration would need to be reviewed by the council every 60 days until it ends the local state of emergency.
