It was right time, right information. Right decision, but poor execution.

After hearing WalkSanDiego’s Dave Schumacher and Andy Hamilton on KPBS radio in January 2001, a Pacific Beach resident asked us to attend a community meeting the next evening to discuss troublesome Beryl Street. Residents have long complained of speeding commuters using this straight, wide residential street as a shortcut route.

City engineers had offered to install two traffic circles but, by City Council policy, required the community to fund, water, and maintain any landscaping installed in them. The residents banded together and raised the necessary funds, but at the meeting, they were informed the circles would be too expensive to build.

The city engineer suggested stop signs instead. We countered that stop signs only introduce new dangers and suggested mid-block islands.

Well, the traffic islands have now been installed, but without landscaping. It seems none of the adjacent homeowners would allow the attachment of water lines from their lawn watering systems. A cap of stamped concrete was installed, and what could have been a magnificent street enhancement is now an eyesore.

In our opinion, when cars are not parked on the approaches, the islands are too small to be effective. The strong vertical element that landscaping provides would have helped slow traffic further.

Our kudos to the community and the city engineers for their efforts, but the lesson here is that a stingy City Council policy is getting in the way of important safety and livability improvements and should be changed.