Amending the mitigation proposed for the crossroads at Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road but saving the trees was nice, but earns no victory cigars. To sway an intransigent Caltrans more will be needed.
Putting on my planner’s hat, I suggest that PCH from the bridge over the Malibu Creek to Webb Way be designated and treated as a downtown Main Street, such as it is in Laguna Beach and Corona Del Mar, among other coastal towns.
With speed limits lowered from the present 45 mph to 25 mph, crosswalks and sidewalks lit, parking (for surfers) added, a more inviting edge to help uninviting Legacy Park (among other improvements) the scene also could lend itself to a more amendable civic identity.
And, with traffic calmed, PCH should not have to be widened.
What’s obviously also needed to make this happen is our timorous City Council and bureaucracy to take the initiative instead of always yielding to self-serving private applicants.
Sam Hall Kaplan