Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Cardiff train track safety barriers replaced

Yet, town council members would have preferred something less industrial

“They look better than what was there before, but..."
“They look better than what was there before, but..."

Cardiff by the Sea’s “unwelcomed wall of ugly” has almost come down. Earlier in February, the North County Transit District suddenly placed 54 orange construction barricades along San Elijo Avenue, overlooking Coast Highway 101 and Swami’s Beach.

The unannounced project, and its unsightliness, brought on complaints from local leaders and community groups. The transit district placed the barricades purportedly for rail safety — to keep cars from driving over the bluff onto the tracks. They also placed barricades along Leucadia’s Vulcan Avenue.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Encinitas vice-mayor Catherine Blakespear said, “It made the beautiful coastal corridor local like an industrial area.” City councilman Tony Kranz concurred with his colleague, saying the concern was not only the inappropriateness of the barricades but the lack of planning or notice to the city and area residents.

Blakespear said the district is probably now aware of the need to be more thoughtful in its planning along the scenic corridor and to better address community concerns.

Now, ground-level cement railroad ties, placed end-to-end, run along the one-mile stretch of the 1300 to 1500 block of San Elijo Avenue, clearly defining the parking areas without blocking the ocean views.

Barbara Cobb, president of the Cardiff by the Sea Town Council, a community advocacy group, said of the new installation, “They look better than what was there before, but they look used, like something that was left over from some other project.”

According to North County Transit District project coordinator Dahvia Lynch, the ties were unused surplus from other rail projects. It’s the rusty metal patina of the ties, normally covered up by train rails, that make them look old.

Lynch said the replacements are a permanent solution to the district’s concerns. “Not so permanent,” said Blakespear, noting the city will soon begin planning its Rail Trail project, a bike and pedestrian path parallel to the tracks on San Elijo Avenue. Blakespear said the city will probably look at something a little less industrial looking.

The state coastal commission’s Eric Stevens, planner for the Cardiff area, said he advised the city of what might be appropriate barricades to replace the temporary orange ones, but it was up to the city to permit the transit district’s choice, under their own local coastal plan.

A construction worker on site said the Leucadia portion of the project would likely be finished next week.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
“They look better than what was there before, but..."
“They look better than what was there before, but..."

Cardiff by the Sea’s “unwelcomed wall of ugly” has almost come down. Earlier in February, the North County Transit District suddenly placed 54 orange construction barricades along San Elijo Avenue, overlooking Coast Highway 101 and Swami’s Beach.

The unannounced project, and its unsightliness, brought on complaints from local leaders and community groups. The transit district placed the barricades purportedly for rail safety — to keep cars from driving over the bluff onto the tracks. They also placed barricades along Leucadia’s Vulcan Avenue.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Encinitas vice-mayor Catherine Blakespear said, “It made the beautiful coastal corridor local like an industrial area.” City councilman Tony Kranz concurred with his colleague, saying the concern was not only the inappropriateness of the barricades but the lack of planning or notice to the city and area residents.

Blakespear said the district is probably now aware of the need to be more thoughtful in its planning along the scenic corridor and to better address community concerns.

Now, ground-level cement railroad ties, placed end-to-end, run along the one-mile stretch of the 1300 to 1500 block of San Elijo Avenue, clearly defining the parking areas without blocking the ocean views.

Barbara Cobb, president of the Cardiff by the Sea Town Council, a community advocacy group, said of the new installation, “They look better than what was there before, but they look used, like something that was left over from some other project.”

According to North County Transit District project coordinator Dahvia Lynch, the ties were unused surplus from other rail projects. It’s the rusty metal patina of the ties, normally covered up by train rails, that make them look old.

Lynch said the replacements are a permanent solution to the district’s concerns. “Not so permanent,” said Blakespear, noting the city will soon begin planning its Rail Trail project, a bike and pedestrian path parallel to the tracks on San Elijo Avenue. Blakespear said the city will probably look at something a little less industrial looking.

The state coastal commission’s Eric Stevens, planner for the Cardiff area, said he advised the city of what might be appropriate barricades to replace the temporary orange ones, but it was up to the city to permit the transit district’s choice, under their own local coastal plan.

A construction worker on site said the Leucadia portion of the project would likely be finished next week.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.