The Malibu GreenMachine has a major highway enhancement project scheduled for PCH, so your front-page story “Malibu ranks No.1 in traffic fatalities, injuries,” caught my attention. Frankly, I wasn’t surprised that the Office of Traffic Safety ranked PCH in Malibu as the deadliest and most dangerous highway out of 104 cities in its category. The GreenMachine project, which will run from Cross to Malibu Canyon, has several important traffic safety aspects.
Since the report cited speeding and unsafe turns as two of the biggest culprits in crashes, a landscaped median can be helpful in both these areas. A landscaped median makes unsafe turns impossible. And a landscape median can help reduce speeding. It creates a visual impact, which softens the street and gives it more of a residential feel, and less of a “speedway” look.
A median is effective in improving general safety because it better defines and separates opposing directions of traffic flow. A landscaped median further helps emphasize the visual separation of the roadway. Landscaping can help slow, and possibly deflect, vehicles that may inadvertently mount the median curb. Thus, a landscaped median can prevent cars from entering oncoming traffic, and can reduce the likelihood and severity of a head-on collision. Medians also increase pedestrian safety. They provide a safe space for people as they make their way across the street.
The GreenMachine is in the final fund-raising stage. We need to raise $600,000 to begin construction on schedule, September 25, 2008. Be a PCH Angel. Visit MalibuGreenMachine.org to make a tax-deductible donation online, or send your donation to: MalibuGreenMachine,23852 Pacific Coast Highway, #718, Malibu 90265.
Jo Giese, President