THANK YOU: To all those who participated at this City Council meeting whether near or far and to the council members for being so passionate about proactively finding ways to make changes immediately. Thank you, Mayor Blakespear, for dedicating the evening to Roberta, advocating without waiver so fervently for her, and for calling for a "moment of silence" to intentionally and corporately set the tone of the evening.
Roberta, firstly and unselfishly, will be so thrilled that everyone united to make safety a priority for bikers in Leucadia and on the 101. Second, I'm sure she will be humbly grateful for the 20+ community members who either spoke, donated time, or wrote letters to share their voice in her honor. Third, she will be so proud of everyone that wore their helmets :)
12/12/8
Published by Fox 5 News
Written by Kasia Gregorczyk
Advocates of pedestrian and bicyclist safety and friends of Roberta Walker, a recently injured bicyclist, spoke out at Wednesday's Encinitas City Council meeting.
The main focus was a call to action on the long-discussed Leucadia Streetscape plan, which would add roundabouts, bike lanes and sidewalks to a stretch of North Coast Highway 101, including the area Walker was struck.
"We know that somebody is going to die soon in Encinitas because we maintain consciously roadways that kill people," said one man.
Walker herself was a staunch defender of pedestrian and cyclist rights and also executive director of the Cardiff 101 Main Street Association. As of Wednesday evening, friends shared Walker had undergone two brain surgeries and remained in a medically induced coma.
After many pleas from the public, the council voted unanimously to put forth an interim safety plan. It is still unclear what the plan will include.
Council members were all in agreement the Streetscape project needs to move along as quickly as possible. Still, city staff reported the project has some hoops to jump through including full support from the North County Transit District.
According to city staff, if all goes accordingly, the project could break ground by late summer or fall 2019.
There is also a ride for Walker scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. starting at the Leucadia Post Office. Ride organizers say it's about peacefully demonstrating a rider's right to safety on the road "like Roberta always did."