SAN DIEGO — A small but loud group of Pacific Beach residents is leading the charge to stop the City of San Diego from putting up traffic-calming barriers or bollards on diamond street to ease what the city calls traffic congestion.

“What congestion?” asked Scott Chipman, a long-time resident of Pacific Beach. “Where is the traffic study that indicates that there’s a lot of traffic congestion on Diamond Street? It doesn’t make any sense.”

But not all residents in the area agree, and now the project that was supposed to start Wednesday is pitting neighbor against neighbor. 

According to the city, a series of flexible posts at two major intersections on Diamond at Fanuel Street and again at Cass would divert traffic off Diamond, eventually making way for what’s being called the PB Pathway. 

But those against the plan say not only is it not needed, it will cause more traffic headaches on surrounding streets.

“I am strongly opposed to the bollards,” said Jessica Moore. “I live on Missouri and Fanuel. When the slow street happened, the traffic exponentially grew terrible for my street. There is no need.”

The project is now on hold. According to a representative from City Councilmember Joe La Cava’s office, the city heard enough legitimate concerns from at a meeting Tuesday to pause the installation to answer key questions raised by those who live on Diamond and want to keep it open.

“It’s fine exactly the way it is. What problem are we solving here?” asked Chipman. “It’s just some environmental symbolism that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.”