Point Dume has a major problem. This sweet, quiet residential neighborhood is being driven through like a freeway. Drivers seem to have no care for the many children and residents who walk on the streets. It’s a miracle a fatality or serious accident hasn’t already happened.
Malibu seems to be taking a Band-Aid approach to addressing this problem by tapping into state funds to build a pathway and calling it the Safe Routes to Schools plan. Sounds good, but it’s not only insufficient, it’s an inappropriate solution.
The city is making plans without getting the community’s input. Where are the public hearings on this issue? How will a pathway address the traffic and excessive vehicular speeds? How will a pathway be safer when children on bicycles, by law, will have to ride in roads made narrower by a pathway? What will happen to existing parking when this proposed pathway is established? Who will be affected and will it be fair? Will our children be forced to cross streets to stay on a pathway where there is a blind curve? And that’s just for starters.
I feel that the Safe Routes to Schools plan was created because the city doesn’t want to take the time to tackle the tougher issue of creating a Master Plan to maintain our residential neighborhoods and keep them safe. I take pride in our community and know the elected officials feel the same. But for them to do what’s right and what’s best, they need to know what we want. We should stop and let the community have a say in the solution to this dangerous problem. Let’s not just take the easy way out. Let’s address the real safety issues.
Please join me and our new community residents’ organization, Point Dume Voice for Safety. Together, we can get this done right. I hope you will let your City Council know how you feel. I certainly will, because this community is great and deserves the right to a safe solution.
Janet Siderman