The commission proposed widening Civic Center Way near the Malibu Canyon Village driveway, as well as improvements to the Malibu High School campus at its July 27 meeting.
By Meg Boberg / Special to the Malibu Times
Safety along Malibu roads was at the top of the list for the Malibu Public Works Commission as it discussed potential capital improvement projects in the next few years at its July 27 meeting. The commission will present an updated five-year plan for capital improvement projects to the Malibu City Council at its regular meeting Aug. 8.
On one of the proposed projects would widen Civic Center Way at the Malibu Canyon Village driveway by approximately five to eight feet. The commission believes that widening the driveway would ease the flow of traffic and result in safer conditions.
Although the proposal of widening the street has yet to be presented to the Malibu City Council, Councilmember Lou La Monte said he is familiar with the somewhat unsafe nature of the narrow road, calling it a blind turn.
“It’s a very narrow turn, its hard to see other people,” La Monte said. “Anything that would make it safer, I’m in favor of, I know how difficult it is.”
As a condo owner in Malibu Canyon Village, Malibu resident Rick Wallace said he is in favor of the idea as well.
“If there’s delay in construction that might be a nuisance, but I think that the nuisance is worth the potential benefit of making that area safer,” Wallace said. “I would say that the ingress and egress of Malibu Canyon Village on Civic Center is a little bit dangerous and a widening in that area would be useful and the space is available.”
The proposal also includes future improvements to Morning View Road in front of the Malibu High School and Middle School campus. On-campus improvements, such as an expanded parking lot, have been proposed by the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
“Obviously adding a large parking lot should help out the parking along Morning View Drive and access points to get into the parking lot,” Malibu City Manager Jim Thorsen said.
Commission chair Steve Karsh also said at the meeting that the city should either ask for matching funds from Los Angeles County or apply for a grant from the state government to help pay for the cost of street maintenance in Malibu. Karsh said the high numbers of tourists who visit Malibu beaches in the summer months cause significant wear and tear.
“Why should we have to carry the burden alone?” Karsh said of repairing road problems such as potholes and geological issues, which he said have not been done since 1991. “The wear and tear is sufficient where we need help in making repairs.”
Tourism attracts more traffic to Malibu’s narrow streets than its residents alone provide, Karsh said.