North County Traffic Plan Gets 2 Boosts

A plan to reduce rush-hour congestion in North County has received a double push as both the Carlsbad City Council and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors endorsed a traffic management program.

The board voted unanimously Tuesday to back the idea, which calls on businesses to vary their work hours and take other steps to help ease traffic congestion during peak hours.

Supervisors also ordered the county administrative staff to draw up a checklist of firms within the unincorporated area of North County with 50 or more employees, the types of businesses to be enlisted in the program. Finally, they asked that the feasibility of a traffic management program be studied, both at private firms and county-run facilities.

On Tuesday evening, the Carlsbad council voted unanimously to ask its staff to explore the possibility of developing a regional approach to peak-hour traffic management in North County.

The concept of a traffic-management program was sparked by Supervisor John MacDonald and San Marcos Mayor Lee Thibadeau, whose city already has such a plan in the works.

Under the program, incentives would be created to encourage car-pooling, cooperation between businesses in scheduling shift changes, modified work weeks and more extensive use of work schedules that send employees into the streets at off-peak hours.

Officials in local cities cite opinion polls that consistently show traffic congestion to be one of the top concerns among residents as proof of the need for the program.

The plan, city and county officials agree, has the potential not only to alleviate the aggravation caused by traffic jams, but also to reduce accidents.

Authorities in both the cities and county say they hope to implement the traffic-management program in concert with other efforts such as street widening and highway modifications.

Other cities expected to take part in the plan include Escondido, Encinitas, Oceanside and Vista.