The Encinitas City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday evening to ratify a local emergency proclamation pertaining to “bicycle, e-bicycle and motorized mobility device safety,” according to the agenda.
After hearing from a dozen public speakers, the council voted unanimously in front of a full room to approve the action.
The local emergency allows the city quicker access to resources necessary for education and enforcement, if needed. Some actions that the city council hopes to accomplish include the rental of 10 messages boards that will be placed in high-visibility areas reminding both riders and drivers to share the road, 300 yard signs urging safety, additional work with schools to educate students on-campus and a bike safety video made in unison with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department that can be played at assemblies and meetings.
Related stories
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Mayor Tony Kranz told NBC 7 this has been a topic of discussion for some time in the coastal city, but the recent death of a 15-year-old who was riding his e-bike made this decision critical.
“It’s not a new conversation, it’s just a much more important conversation now,” Kranz, who rides an e-bike himself, said.
Brodee Champlain-Kingman was riding his bike near the intersection of El Camino Real and Santa Fe Drive. The San Diego Sheriff’s Department said he rode into the path of a work van, was hit and was taken to the hospital where he later died.
“We’re all grieving,” Kranz said. “Life can really be cruel at times and this seems to be one of those situations.”
Champlain-Kingman is remembered as a loyal friend, a dedicated student, a passionate cook and much more to those who know and love him. His father, Troy Kingman, addressed the city council in an emotional moment at the meeting.
“His mother and I worked with him for hours to educate him on the road, the rules, to keep him safe and others,” Kingman said. “I am confident when he walked out on his bicycle to go for a ride because he knew what to look for, he knew to signal with his arm, check his shoulder.”
Kingman added it is essential that the community work together to educate riders on what is considered safe. Champlain-Kingman's mother was also at the meeting, but she was not a speaker.
Kranz mentioned he went to the memorial held for the teen earlier this week. He is devastated, grieving for the loss of Champlain-Kingman, and added this is one family too many that has to go through this kind of pain.
“It’s great to see the growth in ridership that e-bikes brought, but it’s a double-edged sword,” Kranz added.
According to Lt. Ryan Wisniewski, with the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station, last week’s deadly crash is the only one involving an e-bike rider to happen within Encinitas since 2020. However, this year there have been eight crashes with seven people hurt. When it comes to bicycles, there have been two crashes this year with three people hurt.
Kranz is optimistic the new educational efforts will be able to make an impact on those numbers.
“Some might say it’s small, but honestly my thing is at this point we need to do as much as possible,” Kranz said.
The mayor also added he is following in the steps of Carlsbad’s government, which declared a similar bike-related local emergency last year.
