SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — As the Pacific Beach community reflects on its 3rd fatal crash in as many months to start 2026, leaders in San Diego are one week away from reviewing a plan to potentially reduce speed limits on 20% of the city's streets.
The latest crash came 1 a.m. Tuesday when a 33-year-old bicyclist died in a crash at the intersection of Fanuel Street and Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach.
San Diego police say the bicyclist rode south through a red light and was struck by a car heading west on Grand Avenue. He died at the scene.
The latest death comes after a string of deadly crashes in the area. In early February, the assistant general manager of Tavern at the Beach, Qwente Bryant, died in a hit-and-run collision just three blocks away. In mid-January, a 6-year-old boy, Hudson O'Loughlin, was killed during a family bike ride, with his family later placing a ghost bike in his honor.
Devon O'Neill has lived near the intersection of Fanuel Street and Grand Avenue for 10 years. She said the area has long been a concern for those who live nearby.
"I think it's always pretty dangerous. Every time I cross, I am extra careful about kind of looking for oncoming traffic. I've almost been hit when I'm jogging, um, and we've seen a lot of accidents here at this intersection from living here," O'Neill said.
O'Neill said she wants to know how the city plans to respond.
"My question would just kind of be like what is being done to ensure the safety of the pedestrians, kids especially that are here in the neighborhood walking around frequently," O'Neill said.
San Diego City Council President Joe La Cava, who represents the district that includes Pacific Beach, said responsibility for street safety falls on both the city and the people who use its roads.
"Human behavior is one of the most unpredictable things. What we can do is focus on what we know beyond those isolated incidents," La Cava said.
La Cava and other city councilmembers are set to review a new Comprehensive Speed Management Plan on Tuesday. The plan looks at reducing speed limits on 20% of San Diego's road network.
The plan identifies corridors based on criteria allowed under recent California laws (AB 43, AB 1938, AB 382), including:
- Safety Corridors: Up to 5 mph reductions on corridors with higher concentrations of fatal or serious injury crashes.
- High Pedestrian & Bicyclist Activity Corridors: Up to 5 mph reductions on streets near sidewalks, bikeways, transit, and activity centers.
- Business Activity Districts: Reduced speeds to 25 mph or 20 mph on commercial streets with frequent crossings and parking activity.
- School Zones: Reduced speeds to 15 mph or 20 mph within 500 feet of schools, and 25 mph between 501 and 1,000 feet on qualifying nearby approach streets. These provisions allow speed limits to better reflect how streets are used and who is present, particularly in areas where slower speeds are essential for safety
According to the plan, the analysis found that more than 20% of San Diego’s streets, 679.1 centerline miles, are eligible for potential speed limit reductions, including:
- 189.6 centerline miles eligible as Safety Corridors
- 32.6 centerline miles eligible as High Pedestrian & Bicyclist Activity Corridors (All 189.6 miles of Safety Corridors also qualify under this category)
- 58.7 centerline miles eligible as Business Activity Districts
- 371.1 centerline miles eligible for School Zone speeds (15 or 20 mph)
- 27.1 centerline miles eligible for School Approach speeds (25 mph)
It could bring changes to at least eight streets in Pacific Beach, including streets where this year's deadly crashes occurred:
- Garnet Avenue
- Grand Avenue
- Mission Boulevard
- Pacific Beach Drive
- Ingraham Street
- La Jolla Boulevard (southern segment bordering PB)
- Cass Street
- Fanuel Street
La Cava said the work to improve safety in Pacific Beach is not finished.
"Are we done? Absolutely not. We've got more work to do and we'll continue to focus on Pacific Beach in particular because again how many people walk and bike in Pacific Beach," La Cava said.
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