I have been aggressive in trying to get the City Council to develop materials to distribute to residents and visitors about the dangers of PCH in Malibu. A city council member told me repeatedly that the AAA booklet was sufficient. This response was patently ridiculous as Malibu is unique in its topography and number of visitors, with many highway deaths and injuries. During my four years on the Public Safety Commission, I tried to squeeze some dollars out of the City to do a public education campaign, but was told that they could not play favorites by giving one commission money over another, even when it came to something as serious as highway deaths.
Now, on the Malibu City website, there is a request for a proposal to join with PCH Partners to develop materials and media buys to attain the following goals (read this carefully as the punch line is coming):
1) Reduce the number of persons killed in traffic collisions.
2) Reduce the number of persons injured in traffic collisions.
3) Reduce the number of pedestrians killed.
4) Reduce the number of pedestrians injured.
5) Reduce the total number of bicyclists killed in traffic collisions.
6) Reduce the number of bicyclists injured in traffic collisions.
7) Increase awareness of safety messages measured by media coverage of the PCH Taskforce Safety Corridor Grant.
In the private sector, something like this would cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars—saving lives is very expensive. But when I got to the total budget, guess what our city thinks we can do this ambitious plan for? $31,550. My public relations colleagues and I got a giant laugh out of this one. Someone will probably come along and take on this measly budget. Let’s watch carefully how our tax dollars are spent, because I want to see proof-a definite correlation between that paltry sum and lives saved.
Let’s remember that the city spent $50k on the mid-line ashtray—I mean planter—from Webb Way to Cross Creek. Don’t you think saving lives is at least worth more than that?
Susan Tellem