Bike lane from Trancas to city limit will be improved.
By Homaira Shifa / Special to The Malibu Times
In an ongoing effort to make the Pacific Coast Highway safer, the City of Malibu will improve an existing bicycle lane between Trancas Canyon Road westward until the city limit, and will conduct a highway safety study using a $300,000 transportation planning grant it received from Caltrans.
The news was announced during a meeting of the PCH Safety Taskforce Quarterly meeting at Malibu City Hall last Wednesday, which was attended by Sen. Fran Pavley, Assemblymember Julia Brownley and officials from the CHP, the Los Angeles Police Department and county Sheriff’s Department. Representatives from the cities of Malibu, Santa Monica and Los Angeles, as well as Caltrans, and members of A Safer Pacific Coast Highway were also present.
The PCH Safety Taskforce, formed several years ago by Sen. Kuehl and city officials, works specifically on safety issues relating to the use of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Highway safety has been an issue that has plagued the city of Malibu for years, and was highlighted by the death of 13-year-old Emily Shane last year, as well as the deaths of two cyclists several years ago. Local officials have wrestled with ideas and ways to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, including adding Share the Road signs, and signs that flash drivers’ speeds, among other measures.
The safety study, “will examine Pacific Coast Highway’s current conditions and analyze potential improvements to help the City of Malibu determine ways to make the highway safer for all who utilize it,” Malibu’s Media Information Officer Olivia Damavandi said, “including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
“The bicycle lane will be improved with the help of Caltrans,” Damavandi added. “The lane improvement will begin after the city selects top-notch design and engineering services for the project.”
Suggestions for the grant remains to be seen,” Malibu Public Safety Commission Chair Carol Randall said. “But speed, distractions, and dangerous and illegal U-turns are the biggest concerns right now. People need to pay attention to the traffic laws.”
The city will involve stakeholders to evaluate the full range of safety improvements.
“While speeding on Pacific Coast Highway is a concern,” Damavandi said. “The safety study will also help the city pinpoint other safety concerns.
Before the study can begin, the City of Malibu must contribute a matching portion of $75,000 as part of the grant, which will bring the total project funding to $375,000.
The city has been actively working with citizens, community groups, public agencies and the Sheriff’s Department to promote safe and responsible driving.
“Just his morning I saw three people skateboarding on PCH,” Randall said. “PCH is being used as a recreational highway. And it’s also a commuting highway, so that creates a problem. It also goes through a residential area.”
Recent safety precautions taken by the City and Caltrans include the construction of a traffic signal at the intersection of Corral Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway, the addition of median paddles and curbing, as well as the employment of a permanent full-time motorcycle deputy who focuses on speeding motorists and other moving violations.
“This has been an ongoing effort,” Randall said. “But I would love to see the speed limit lowered.”
The city of Santa Monica’s update included PCH to incline left turn lane lengthening. The city of Los Angeles discussed the Coastal Interceptor Relief Sewer project, Temescal Canyon Park Stormwater BMP, and city sewer upgrades at Temescal Canyon.