The California Coastal Commission has asked the North County Transportation District to withdraw its sole control of the control project to stabilize the railroad tracks on the Del Mar coastal cliffs.
The transit zone submitted a petition to the Federal Ground Transportation Commission in August, requesting it to reduce the jurisdiction of the Coastal Commission and the City of Del Mar over the bluff project, including plans to install barbed wire fences to prevent pedestrians from crossing the highway. Track to the beach.
“Together with many members of the public, the North County Transportation District (NCTD) suddenly decided not only to terminate cooperation with the Coastal Commission staff… but I was shocked and frustrated by the shock without any notice or warning,” he said. Committee Executive Director John Ainsworth in a letter dated October 15.
Since 2002, the committee has worked with NCTD and its partner San Diego Government Association to carry out at least 28 railway projects. These measures include adding double-track sections, replacing old bridges and trestle bridges, and previous bluff stabilization projects.
He said: “We believe that through the cooperation of NCTD, SANDAG and the committee, through the planning and approval process, these final projects will be better for the public and the environment.”
Transit area officials said in their petition to the Ground Transportation Commission that one of the reasons they needed an exemption was because the Del Mar City Council requested in a letter to the Coastal Commission on April 21 that “far-reaching and inappropriate After the storm eroded the bluffs last Thanksgiving weekend, emergency repairs were carried out.
The city’s required mitigation measures include requiring NCTD to cover the bluff with natural soil and native plants instead of installed shotcrete walls. The petition pointed out that New York City has also proposed a “laundry list for mitigating requirements for future fraudulent bl projects.”
Del Mar board members said at the meeting last week that they were surprised by the NCTD petition and that they did not want to have such a negative reaction to their letter.
Assemblyman Dave Druker said: “It is very important to compete with it as a team so that we can get to the beach and bluff.”
Del Mar city officials and representatives of the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit organization, have written to oppose the petition. According to reports, Amtrak and the American Railroad Association announced their support.
Residents of Del Mar have long opposed the construction of fences along the railway. Many people believe that they have the right to walk on the rails or cross the rails anywhere. Some are coastal homeowners and they say that fences will destroy the sea view.
Although the Ground Transportation Commission has not yet decided on the petition, NCTD officials said last week that they have the right to install 6-foot-high fences as well as lighting, security cameras and public address speakers within the railway right of way without other approval. The region plans to complete the project before the end of this year.
NCTD Marketing and Communications Manager Kimy Wall said in an email response to questions last week: “It is vital that we take all necessary actions to support the safe and efficient movement of passenger and freight trains, while working to ensure public safety. ”
In addition to plans to increase the number of trains, the transit area has recently purchased new locomotives that are faster and quieter than those currently in operation. The new engine is expected to be put into use early next year. Moreover, due to speed and weight, the train may take more than half a mile to stop in an emergency.
NCTD recently released the results of a study of the San Diego County Coastal Railroad Corridor. The study identified areas in three cities (Oceanside, Encinitas, and Del Mar) because people often break in on railroad tracks, Therefore fences are most needed.
The report determined the number of “strikes” by intruders from 2015 to 2019, but did not distinguish between suicide, accidental death or injury, although most strikes were suicides.
Studies have shown that from the transportation center to the Carlsbad border, there have been 10 intruder strikes in Oceanside. Most of the hits are located in the northern part of the area, and people cross there to reach the beach.
Encinitas went on strike 11 times within 2.5 miles, the longest of the three railway sections. Most of these incidents occurred in the northern part of the area, where people often parked informally along the railroad tracks to reach businesses in the Leucadia community.
Del Mar has the most intruder strikes in the shortest distance, with 12 strikes in the 1.4-mile stage. Almost all of these hits are located at the northern end of the track, near the intersection of Powerhouse Park and Coast Boulevard.
Phil Diehl has been a reporter and editor in North County since 1989 and has written articles on city government, education, healthcare, military issues, nuclear power, etc. Worked as a night market editor for the North County Times for about five years, until it was acquired by the San Diego Union Tribune. He graduated from West Virginia University and started his newspaper career at the Outpost of Parkersburg, West Virginia. He lives in Carlsbad.
At a time when local news is more important than ever, reader support is crucial. If you can, please support Encinitas advocates immediately.
Due to the pandemic and construction delays, they left the school a few months later. The kindergarten and first-year students of Cardiff School returned to the scene on October 5 to receive guidance.
Encinitas Unified School District plans to maintain a mixed model by the end of the year, and plans to gradually conduct more face-to-face learning from January.
Election efforts to expand the cannabis industry to more California cities included voting in Solana Beach and Encinitas on November 3, which all sparked debates about local control, crime, and other potential issues.
Post time: Oct-27-2020