Barrio Traffic Calming | Carlsbad, CA

At a glance

As part of an overall goal of improving traffic safety and walkability, the Village and Barrio Master Plan calls for adding traffic circles and other street design features at several intersections in the Barrio area, which help reduce speeding.
The plan includes news stop signs, painted crosswalks, flashing pedestrian signs, a raised crosswalk and one traffic circle at the intersection of Pine and Harding.
Any improvements needed for water and sewer utilities will be coordinated with the traffic calming work.

Stop sign installation

The City of Carlsbad is installing new all-way stop signs at four intersections in the Barrio as part of the city’s efforts to help reduce speeds and improve safety in the Barrio.

Chestnut and Madison
Chestnut and Roosevelt
Magnolia and Madison
Oak and Jefferson

Construction schedule

Feb. 27 to March 13
Monday to Friday
6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

What to expect

Temporary lane closures and parking restrictions will be in place during construction hours.
Crews will complete this work as quickly as possible to minimize inconveniences. No impacts to resident access are anticipated.
You may notice noise from pavement grinding and construction vehicles.

Learn more about construction planned in the Barrio in 2026, including lighting improvements, traffic calming and water and sewer pipeline replacements.

What's planned

A traffic calming project is planned to help reduce speeds and improve safety at other intersections in the Barrio, including:

New all-way stop signs at 4 intersections
43 new high-visibility crosswalks
1 raised crosswalk, which is similar to speed cushions with painted crosswalks on them
6 rectangular rapid flashing beacons, which are signs that light up to alert drivers when people are crossing the street
1 traffic circle that was previously approved by the City Council during its July 29 meeting

Map showing locations of proposed traffic calming measures in the Barrio

As approved, the project will:

Minimize parking impacts in the area. Seven parking spaces will be eliminated at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street, which is a decrease from 27 if the project had included all five traffic circles. Two of these spaces are no longer legal to park in due to the state’s new “daylighting law,” which restricts parking within 20 feet of most intersections. To offset the parking loss at the traffic circle intersection, staff identified 14 spaces in the nearby area that they expect to add by the end of August. This will result in a total net gain of seven parking spaces in the area.
Allow the city to retain $5 million in federal funding secured, to be split evenly between the traffic circle project and the separate Barrio Street Lighting project to help offset construction costs.
Keep the enhanced crosswalk proposed at the intersection of Oak Avenue and Roosevelt Street.
Any improvements needed for water and sewer utilities will be coordinated with the traffic calming work.

Rendering of proposed traffic circle design: *final design may vary.

trafficcirclerendering

Potential parking impacts

With the revisions approved by the City Council on July 29, 2025, the project will minimize parking impacts in the area.

Seven parking spaces will be eliminated at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street, which is a decrease from 27 if the project had included all five traffic circles.
Two of these spaces are no longer legal to park in due to the state’s new “daylighting law,” which restricts parking within 20 feet of most intersections.
To offset the parking loss at the traffic circle intersection, staff identified 14 spaces in the nearby area that they expect to add by the end of August.
This will result in a total net gain of seven parking spaces in the area.

The city is also looking at additional ways to add more on-street parking in the Barrio, including evaluating parallel parking spaces on wider streets that could be converted to diagonal parking.

A total of 14 parking spaces are expected to be added by the end of August 2025 by modifying red curbs, and additional analysis is underway.
An additional 13 parking spaces are expected to be conceptually designed by the end of 2025 near the Madison Street and Chestnut Avenue intersection, as requested by the City Council in March 2025.

Federal grant

About traffic circles

What is a traffic circle?

The top causes of injury collisions in Carlsbad are unsafe speeds, violating signs and signals, followed by improper turning. Traffic circles address all by being a physical change to the road, which results in drivers slowing down and paying more attention to their surroundings.

Traffic circles are raised islands, placed in intersections.
These prevent drivers from speeding through intersections by impeding the straight-through movement and reduce the potential collision points by eliminating direct left turns.
Traffic circles tend to be used in residential neighborhoods whereas roundabouts are for larger, more heavily traveled intersections.
A similar traffic circle is on Chestnut Avenue between Pine Park and Chase Field.

This design was recommended in the Village and Barrio Master Plan because it is the best solution to discourage speeding and improve safety in a way that fits a residential neighborhood setting. Traffic circles were also recommended because they can be used for public art or decorated to fit the local character.

Traffic circle example

Traffic circle public art

City staff have begun the community engagement process for a new public artwork that will be placed in the middle of the traffic circle at Harding Street and Pine Avenue, one of the main gateways into the Barrio. A public art subcommittee evaluated qualified artist proposals and selected one artist/artist team.

The community will continue to be engaged during the development of this new artwork, the timing of which is being planned concurrently with the traffic circle.

If you're specifically interested in updates about public art in the Barrio, please sign up for email notifications.

Next steps

Traffic calming

Staff will return to the City Council in early 2026 to request approval of the construction contract.
Construction could begin in early 2026 and be complete in early 2027.

Public art

The artist, Mario Torero, who was selected by a city public art advisory subcommittee in December 2024 to create the public art, will move forward with gathering community input to help shape the design concept. The concept will then be presented to the Arts Commission.

Background

As part of an overall goal of improving traffic safety and walkability in Carlsbad’s oldest neighborhood, the city has worked with the Barrio community to develop a plan to add traffic circles in the Barrio as well as other street design features that will encourage safe behaviors among those who drive, walk and bicycle in the area.

The concept for the Barrio Traffic Circles project was originally proposed in 2014 as part of the Village and Barrio Master Plan.

In June 2025, the City Council asked staff to seek additional community input and bring the project proposal back on July 29, 2025, with traffic calming options ranging from no traffic circles, a hybrid option with at least one traffic circle and an option to keep all five as originally proposed.

At its meeting on July 29, 2025, the City Council voted to proceed with a revised plan that reduces the originally proposed five traffic circles in the Barrio to one. The traffic circle will be located at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street and include public art.

In September 2025, the City Council approved an updated Barrio traffic calming plan, which includes new stop signs, painted crosswalks, a raised crosswalk, flashing pedestrian signs and the previously approved traffic circle. In November 2025, the City Council approved the plans, specifications and contract documents and authorized staff to advertise the project for construction bids.

Past actions

Nov. 18, 2025 | City Council
The City Council adopting the plans, specifications and contract documents and authorizing the City Clerk to advertise for bids for the Barrio Traffic Calming Project, and the associated water and sewer improvements.

Sept. 9, 2025 | City Council
The City Council approved the updated Barrio traffic calming plan, which includes new stop signs, painted crosswalks, a raised crosswalk, flashing pedestrian signs and the previously approved traffic circle with public art at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street.

July 29, 2025 | City Council
The City Council approved one traffic circle with public art at the intersection of Pine Avenue and Harding Street and other traffic calming measures in the Barrio. The City Council also asked staff to return to the City Council by November 2025 with a revised conceptual plan, cost estimate and timeline.

June 24, 2025 | City Council
The City Council postponed a decision on awarding a construction contract and asked staff to bring the proposal back July 29, 2025 to give the community another opportunity to provide input on the traffic circles and other options to reduce speeding.

March 4, 2025 | City Council
Approved the plans, specifications and contract documents and authorized the City Clerk to advertise for bids for Phase 1 of the Village and Barrio Traffic Circles Project. Also directed the City Manager to look into additional parking opportunities along Madison and east from Madison on Chestnut.

May 6, 2024 | Traffic Safety & Mobility Commission
Recommended approval of the plans and specifications of the Barrio traffic circles project, phase 1 to the City Council.

Jan. 9, 2024 | City Council
Received an update on the project and selected curb extensions for the intersections of Palm Avenue and Harding Street and Madison Street and Magnolia Avenue.

Sept. 7, 2021 | Traffic & Mobility Commission
Recommended against a traffic circle at the intersection of Oak Avenue and Roosevelt Street due to community input and further study.

April 6, 2020 | Traffic & Mobility Commission
Recommended implementation of the Village and Barrio Traffic Circles Project

Nov. 19, 2019 | City Council
Authorized agreement with Chen Ryan Associates, Inc. for conducting a feasibility analysis and engineering design of the traffic circles

Sept. 17, 2019 | City Council
Received informational presentation on the status of the Barrio Street Lighting and Traffic Circles projects.

June 18, 2019 | City Council
Council voted to hear report on status of the Barrio Street Lighting and Traffic Circles projects

July 24, 2018 | City Council
Approved the Village and Barrio Master Plan, which became effective in August 2018.

May 16, 2018 | Planning Commission
Recommended City Council approval of the Village and Barrio Master Plan, which included various lighting projects and traffic circles in the Barrio.

April 18, 2018 | Planning Commission
Held public hearing to consider Village and Barrio Master plan, continued to May 16 meeting

Oct. 19, 2016 | Planning Commission
Directed staff to revise or study potential revisions to the Village and Barrio Master plan

July 13, 2016 | Planning Commission
Workshop to hear public and commissioner comments on Draft Village and Barrio Master Plan

April 13, 2016 | Planning Commission
Heard information presentation on Draft Village and Barrio Master Plan

Community input regarding Village and Barrio Master Plan.

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