Member Q&A #2: Why Vista’s Bike Lane Berm Removal Endangers Cyclists
In light of Vista’s recent removal of bike safety features, Brian reached out for our response:
“Just wanted to touch base with you on this to get your perspective on this situation, what your thoughts are about it, any points about these safety features you want to emphasize?”
Both Chloé and Ian shared their insights, see their full responses below.
Chloé:
Thank you for reaching out. In addition to the perspective Ian will share, I want to offer a few thoughts on behalf of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
We are deeply concerned about the recent decision to remove the berms along Vista’s bike lanes, just months after their installation. This project followed a rigorous and public process, including community engagement, collaboration with city engineers, City Council approval, budgeting, contracting, and implementation. These checks and balances exist to ensure projects are safe, effective, and consistent with state and local design standards.
To see this vetted and thoughtfully designed safety improvement reversed so quickly—and based on a non-engineered sketch drawn during a council meeting—is alarming. Public infrastructure should not be redesigned on the fly without technical review or professional input, especially when the safety of residents is at stake.
Rather than exploring enhancements like reflective paint or other visibility upgrades, the Council chose to spend limited funds removing significant portions of a brand-new project. This not only delays other urgently needed safety efforts; it also increases risk for all road users—cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike.
It’s important to remember that bike infrastructure doesn’t just benefit cyclists—it calms traffic, prevents serious crashes, and saves lives. If the logic is that a curb or barrier should be removed because a car might hit it, we risk setting a dangerous precedent. Sidewalks and medians are regularly struck by vehicles, yet we don’t propose removing them. Safety infrastructure exists to prevent harm, not to accommodate unsafe behavior.
We urge Vista’s leaders to reconsider this course of action and refocus on long-term solutions that prioritize safety, follow professional standards, and respect the extensive community process already undertaken.
Ian:
Thanks for reaching out about this, and I second Chloe's thoughts. We were directly involved in consulting with the swing-vote council member who represents the district where the berms are being removed, and who ultimately made the motion to remove the berms. As you may expect, we were very much against the removal of berms from the start. The features some drivers complain about work to keep cyclists safe. While the initial rollout was poor, the black berms were undoubtedly hard to see, once they were painted with black and white striping they were very visible and posed no threat to those paying attention while operating heavy machinery (driving a car). Additional features can always be added to make them more visible, and it would be cheaper than removing them. The berms physically prevented cars from swerving into the bike lane, whether that be due to inattention or malice. With the berms removed, the only things separating cyclists from high-speed vehicles on most of Melrose are plastic flexposts, which are better than nothing, but serve as a downgrade compared to the previous separation of berms and flexposts.
In addition, we see this as a waste of money. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars were spent removing safety infrastructure without any proper evaluation period or study. Vista has plenty of other places where that money would be better spent making other safety upgrades, including the northern section on Melrose Drive. Just south of the 78 freeway, there is a section of road where the bike lane ends and cyclists are expected to share the road with vehicles, buses, trash trucks, and semis on a stretch with a 40 mph speed limit. As a reminder, Melrose is the only North/South thoroughfare on the western side of Vista. That is why it is so wide, and so busy. There is no alternative route cyclists can take. This place needs dedicated bike infrastructure to create a cohesive bike network in the City and to make cycling comfortable for most people. I've attached a photo of that stretch below.
The situation in Vista has sparked important conversations about how we prioritize safety, spend public funds, and respond to community pressure. Decisions like these have real consequences for people who bike, walk, and drive in our cities.
What do you think? Should Vista have removed the berms or improved them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
