It used to be easier to get to the beach in Del Mar, and most residents wish they could turn back the clock. All they want is a convenient way to cross the railroad tracks to reach the beach and bluffs, but since August, everyone from surfers to dog walkers is getting a crash course in safety — in the form of tickets.

Unhappy locals, who say they’ve been cited and harassed by San Diego sheriffs, flocked to the September 6 city-council meeting to speak out about the policing of the bluffs.

The increased enforcement of trespassing was prompted by the North County Transit District, which maintains the railroad right-of-way.

“I actually grew up in Encinitas, so I’ve crossed the railroad tracks more times than I’d like to acknowledge,” said Dahvia Lynch, chief planning officer with North County Transit District.

But the second-busiest rail corridor in the U.S. is only getting busier and more dangerous: by 2050, its train traffic is expected to double.

“Trespassing and railroad strikes are the number-one reasons for railroad-related fatalities,” Lynch said. In the past two years, there have been 19 fatalities and 15 injuries along the coastal tracks and Sprinter line. And that, she says, “has led to an absolute crackdown” by the feds.

Locally, the best known incident occurred in 2014, when former Del Mar mayor Louis Terrell was struck and killed at a popular crossing spot as he tried to save his dog, which bolted after hearing the train’s horn. But since that time, no legal crossings have been added. The latest non-fatal accident was in March 2016, when a jogger on the bluffs near 12th Street was hit.

While the railroad tracks bisect the coastal bluff for over a mile, there is only one legal pedestrian crossing and no access to the beach south of 15th Street.

Rails and trails can safely co-exist, argued Frank Stonebanks, a resident who became an activist after being cited for walking the bluffs to take in the views. For example, Orange County has integrated both after first dismissing the idea, he said, and the operator now considers it a safety improvement.

Stonebanks and others created a petition that has collected over 500 signatures, calling for an immediate end to the ticketing, and, within one year, an assessment of a pedestrian crossing. Others downplayed the risks, saying many of the incidents involve suicides and that they feel safer crossing the tracks than the surrounding streets.

“Big signs should be more than sufficient,” said resident Camilla Rang, comparing the current effort to a military coup. “[North County Transit District] has this tiny strip of land between us and the beach. You’re occupying that piece of land.” And if the effort continues? “We will walk down the block as one person and chain ourselves to the railroad.”

It’s not just warning signs that are needed, said resident Doug Moon; people need to know where to cross safely. “Right now everyone is going on their own direction.”

Another resident, Stuart Fish, asked if the heavy policing is “the image we want to portray to tourists?” Del Mar is getting a bad rap because the majority of people don’t realize “that it’s really not the City of Del Mar, it’s [the North County Transit District],” he said.

According to Lynch, Del Mar hasn’t been singled out. The agency is working with a coalition of North County coastal cities in developing a rail trail. The solutions could be education, infrastructure, or feasibility studies, she said, noting “there may be challenges” as the bluffs continue to erode.

For now, the city agrees that the extreme enforcement should stop. The council voted unanimously to ask the agency to curb unwarranted ticketing and confine it to those who attempt dangerous crossings. They also formed a subcommittee to look at short- and long-term solutions to better beach access.

“Del Mar has not moved fast enough to provide safe pedestrian crossings,” said city councilmember Don Mosier, who represents Del Mar on the North County Transit District board.