San Diego transportation officials this week abruptly halted a project to install traffic calming measures on a street in Pacific Beach.
The city announced the project in a press release on June 15, saying traffic diverters would be installed on Diamond Street at the intersections with Fanuel Street and Cass Street. Traffic diverters can improve safety by reducing cut-through traffic on quiet neighborhood streets while allowing pedestrians, cyclists and emergency vehicles to pass through.
Councilmember Joe LaCava, whose district includes Pacific Beach, was quoted in the press release as saying: “I have listened to residents and community leaders, and it is evident that the concern is safety along Diamond Street.”
But after LaCava met with the project's opponents on Tuesday, he asked city staffers to put the project on hold. LaCava's office told KPBS some opponents threatened to lay down on the street to block the installation from happening.
Ryan Stock, vice president of the nonprofit beautifulPB, said he was disappointed in the delay.
"We're talking about two intersections where you can no longer take a left turn in a private vehicle — that's it," Stock said. "That's like the bare minimum we can do to encourage more biking and running and other users of the street."
Researchers from UC San Diego evaluated an earlier version of the traffic calming measures on Diamond Street, which were installed in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage safe outdoor recreation and exercise. They measured a 56% decrease in vehicular traffic volumes on Diamond Street, but only a 36% increase in volumes on a parallel control street.
They also measured a 41% increase in pedestrian activity and a 231% increase in biking.
Stock said opposition to the traffic calming measures was not new, and that a minority of residents were holding the project hostage.
"We've made so much progress, we've had so many discussions about this," Stock said. "And then right at the last minute, this very small coalition of people feels that they have the right to just dictate that no changes can be made to their city."
LaCava's office said the councilmember had a meeting scheduled with city staffers on Friday to learn more about the project.
