Pacific Coast Highway is a disaster and a kill zone. We should all be outraged about it. The latest accident on PCH and Trancas Canyon was another horrible example of the unacceptable dangers that we all face here. That could have been any of you or your families!
There is nothing more important and basic than health and safety and the City of Malibu, the sheriffs and Caltrans have all failed us in regards to managing PCH. Let’s stop squabbling about petty issues in Malibu and immediately fix this basic issue.
Whenever I have called the aforementioned agencies, they all point fingers at each other in terms of who is responsible for fixing the issue on PCH. They cite traffic studies and statistics that do not seem to lead to anything productive in terms of making PCH safe or the horrendous and worsening traffic situation better for us who live here and love Malibu.
Here are some ideas how to fix PCH:
Safety
1) Place a continuous K-rail barrier in the center of PCH from Topanga to County Line with breaks for emergency vehicles. This will help prevent drivers who cross the center median and also prevent illegal u-turns that cause many accidents
2) Make it illegal to park on the land side of PCH
3) Make it illegal to ride a bicycle on PCH
4) Have more sheriffs and California Highway Patrol in Malibu—we are woefully under policed in Malibu and we need our own police force or more sheriffs
5) Install traffic cameras to monitor illegal activity on PCH and observe drunk drivers and crime
Traffic control
1) Time the lights so traffic moves in a logically and efficient manner. City council, stop citing “traffic studies” and fix this issue.
2) Have traffic police at busy lights to wave traffic by in congested areas such as the Malibu Canyon and Duke’s lights, which cause massive traffic jams because they cycle too slowly.
3) Make it illegal and write tickets for people who clog the right lane when waiting to get in to the Malibu Pier and Nobu parking lots.
Many of us have lost friends on PCH, and experienced the frustration of the constant traffic and burdens here. It is becoming unlivable and too dangerous to ignore.
Matt Borenzweig