Drivers on Del Mar's busiest corridors will face lower speed limits if the City Council gives final approval Tuesday, Oct. 20. The council voted unanimously Tuesday, Oct. 6 to introduce an ordinance cutting speeds on eight road segments.
The biggest drops are on Jimmy Durante Boulevard, where two segments will go from 45 mph to 30 mph. Four stretches of Camino Del Mar will drop from 40 mph to 30 mph. Mayor Tracy Martinez, Deputy Mayor John Spelich and Councilmembers Terry Gaasterland and Dan Quirk all voted in favor.
The reductions follow citywide traffic surveys, as first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The city's Traffic and Parking Advisory Committee (TPAC) recommended the surveys on Dec. 2, 2025. The council acted on the results as a public hearing item at Del Mar Town Hall.
What changes where
On Camino Del Mar, four segments drop from 40 mph to 30 mph:
- Via de la Valle to the Dog Beach crosswalk
- Dog Beach crosswalk to the San Dieguito Bridge
- Coast Boulevard to Jimmy Durante Boulevard
- Jimmy Durante Boulevard to Del Mar Plaza
On Jimmy Durante Boulevard, three segments drop to 30 mph:
- Via de la Valle to the fairgrounds rideshare gate (from 45 mph)
- Rideshare gate to San Dieguito Drive (from 45 mph)
- San Dieguito Drive to Camino Del Mar (from 35 mph)
The eighth segment, on Via de la Valle from Camino Del Mar to Jimmy Durante Boulevard, drops from 40 mph to 35 mph.
Why the surveys happened
California law requires cities to base posted speed limits on engineering surveys that measure the speed at or below which 85 percent of drivers travel. Those surveys are valid for seven years and can be extended to 14 if a registered engineer finds conditions unchanged, according to the council's agenda report.
Two segments were reaching the end of their first seven-year window in 2026. Striping changes on Jimmy Durante Boulevard between Via de la Valle and San Dieguito Drive also triggered a new analysis, the agenda report states.
TPAC voted unanimously to survey all 16 city segments rather than just the expiring ones. Eight resulted in recommended reductions.
Jimmy Durante Boulevard is Del Mar's widest road and its busiest during major events at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
What's next
The Oct. 6 action was a first reading. Final adoption requires a second reading, scheduled for the council's Tuesday, Oct. 20 meeting at Del Mar Town Hall, 1050 Camino Del Mar, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
