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Preliminary February data shows the top cause of collisions in Carlsbad

At a recent Traffic & Mobility Commission meeting, the Carlsbad Police Department shared preliminary traffic safety data from February. The report is just a snapshot of one month, but it highlights why it’s so important to drive safely, slow down and remove distractions.

The most common cause of collisions in February was unsafe speed. “Unsafe speed” is not necessarily the same thing as “speeding.” Many things can impact what speed is considered safe, including the speed traffic is traveling around you. For instance, if the speed limit is 45 mph but traffic is heavy and most cars are moving closer to 30 mph, it’s not safe to drive 45. 

The consequences of driving too fast can be serious:

• It’s easier to lose control of your vehicle
• Stopping distance increases
• Collisions become more severe, leading to more serious injuries
• Your car uses more gas at higher speeds, meaning you’ll pay more at the pump
• You could receive a citation and pay a fine, and your insurance rates could increase

Slowing down can go a long way toward preventing collisions and injuries. The city has a number of projects in the works to reduce speeding. This includes installing speed feedback signs, adding speed humps or raised crosswalks to neighborhood streets or narrowing lane width (you wouldn’t drive the same speed through a small alley that you would on a wide freeway).

There were 51 total collisions in February that resulted in an injury – that's an average of more than one each day. Of those collisions, most were between more than one car. 

More information

Safer Streets Together

Reducing speeding in neighborhoods

Traffic safety data

Traffic safety tips

A perfect native plant for spring gardening

Continuing our Earth Month theme, Earth Month is all about how to preserve natural resources, protect our environment and live more sustainably. In the City of Carlsbad, that’s something we practice all year long through programs like our Habitat Management Plan, which guides sustainable development and promotes habitat conservation to support native plants and animals. 

One of the beautiful native plants you may commonly see in Carlsbad is the colorful lupin. There are many native lupin species in Carlsbad.

Lupins typically bloom from February to May and their flowers vary from purple-blue to white or pink.  

Lupins grow quickly, are drought tolerant and don’t require a lot of work, so they are a popular option for garden and landscape projects. 

If you want to plant lupins or any other native plant this spring, we can help you get started!

Pick up free compost and mulch Saturday at the city’s Compost & Mulch Giveaway event. Proof of Carlsbad residency is required. Up to 25 gallons of compost and/or mulch per person, on a first come first served basis.

Compost & Mulch Giveaway

Saturday, April 15

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Carlsbad Senior Center parking lot

799 Pine Ave.

Learn to upcycle an old household item into a succulent planter at our Earth Month Celebration, also happening Saturday. The celebration includes lots of fun activities like kids’ crafts, a bike rodeo (remember to bring your bike and helmet), candle making, wetsuit and bike repair demonstrations and more. 

Earth Month Celebration

Saturday, April 15

9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Pine Avenue Community Park

3209 Harding St.

Celebrate Earth Month by planting a tree

Speaking of Earth Month, another way the City of Carlsbad protects our environment is by supporting the development of our urban forest. On Tuesday, the City Council issued a proclamation recognizing Arbor Week (April 23-29) and we’re celebrating with a volunteer tree planting event later this month.

Volunteer tree planting

Saturday, April 29

8 to 10:30 a.m.

Cadencia Park

The event will include a tree-planting demonstration and informational booths. Tools will be provided; volunteers should bring work gloves, a hat, sunscreen and closed-toe shoes. If you're interested, please RSVP to [email protected]. 

A new mural inspired by Carlsbad’s natural beauty

Our city’s spectacular native plants and wildlife have also inspired a new mural at the Library Learning Center across from Holiday Park.

Studio Tutto, a women-owned studio led by artists Sofia Laçin and Hennessy Christophel, painted beautiful examples of Carlsbad’s flora and fauna on the center’s west-facing wall. The rich colors complement the building’s existing façade.

If you stop by, be sure to go inside and check out the Learning Center’s Spanish, English and bilingual library collection. The center is home to a lot of wonderful programs, including literacy tutoring for adults. 

National Library Week activities

This week the City Council also recognized April 23-29 as National Library Week. In Carlsbad, we always celebrate with our big Carlsbad Reads Together program and we have several activities planned later this month.

Carlsbad Reads Together is a way for the community to join one big book club, reading special book selections for adults, teens and children. One of our main events is a virtual talk with Francisco Cantú, author of our adult book selection, "The Line Becomes a River." The discussion will be followed by a Q&A.

An Evening with Francisco Cantú

Thursday, April 27

6 p.m.

FREE virtual event

Register now

Join us for Fiesta at the Rancho

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park is a special place in our community and preserving it takes a village. If you’re interested in helping, consider attending Fiesta at the Rancho on May 13.

This is an annual fundraiser organized by Friends of Carrillo Ranch that raises money to help with the restoration, preservation and promotion of this slice of old California history. Proceeds from the dinner and silent auction allow over 1,200 local fourth grade students in Carlsbad to participate in the award-winning California History and Art Program each year.

Fiesta at the Rancho

Saturday, May 13

5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park

6200 Flying Leo Carrillo Lane

Tickets: $125 before April 20

A colorful new exhibit at Cannon Art Gallery

This Saturday is World Art Day and we’re celebrating with the opening of an exciting new photography exhibit at the Cannon Art Gallery.  A Colorful Dream is a family-friendly, interactive exhibition by contemporary fine art photographer Adrien Broom.

A Colorful Dream

April 15 to May 27, 2023

Cannon Art Gallery

1775 Dove Lane

FREE admission  

The exhibit features a series of photographs, some of them large-scale, detailing a young girl’s journey through a series of monochromatic fantasy worlds exploring every color in the spectrum. It took Broom more than three years to build eight individual sets or “worlds” in her studio with objects evoking the essence of each color. The photos capture an incredible journey.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the City of Carlsbad’s TGIF Concerts in the Parks has been nominated for the Best Outdoor Concert Series in the USA TODAY 10Best’s 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. We know we’ve got the best concert series in the country, but it would be fun to be nationally recognized, too! 

Voting is open through Monday at 8:59 a.m., so we’re getting down to the wire. You can vote every day until the contest ends. Help push us to the top!

Get involved: Upcoming meetings

The next City Council meeting will take place Tuesday, April 18, starting at 5 p.m. in the City Council Chamber. The topics to be discussed include:

• Approving an agreement for a developer to pay its share of costs of Rancho Santa Fe and Olivenhain road improvements
• Approving workers comp settlements with three former city employees 
• Using $500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding for repairs at the Tyler Court Senior Apartments, which provides affordable housing for very low-income senior households
• Awarding the contract to make seven city parking lots in the Village and parking lots in three city parks comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements
• Approving a change order for the project to build a temporary Fire Station 7 on Carlsbad Boulevard so that some remaining electrical work can be completed
• Awarding a contract to replace some pressure-reducing stations that control the water pressure in the Carlsbad Municipal Water District’s water distribution system
• Continuing the storm-related local emergency declared to make immediate repairs to a sinkhole on Haymar Drive
• A public hearing on the city’s annual program to remove weeds and refuse on certain private properties as potential hazards
• Re-establishing the Carlsbad Tourism Business Improvement District under a different state law
• Introducing an ordinance approving the Police Department’s use of what’s considered military equipment, as required by state law
• A presentation on a state-required report showing the perceived demographics of people Carlsbad Police officers encounter in traffic stops and certain other contacts

The full agenda and staff reports are available on the city’s website.

These city meetings are also taking place next week. 

April 17, 3 p.m. – Economic Development Subcommittee

April 19, 5 p.m. – Planning Commission

April 20, 5 p.m. – Carlsbad Tomorrow Growth Management Citizens Committee

I’ll be back next week with more updates. I hope you have a wonderful, safe weekend.

Scott Chadwick