Community members continue to advocate for a safer road for all
On Feb. 26, members of Streets are for Everyone and Fix P.C.H. and other officials gathered on the corner of PCH and Webb Way for a moment of silence as they added another Ghost Tire, bringing the number to 59. Last month, the latest Ghost Tire was placed in honor of 32-year-old Jose Alfonso De Lira Piedra, who was killed in December last year.
On Dec. 24, at 6 p.m., Los Angeles County Fire Department and deputies from Lost Hills Station responded to a vehicle versus motorcycle traffic collision on 33400 Pacific Coast Highway. The male motorcyclist, was identified as De Lira Piedra, of Burbank. According to authorities, a black vehicle was backing out of a driveway on the south side of PCH when it crashed into Piedra. He died at the scene of the crash.
The City of Malibu released a statement on the incident on social media.
“The city’s thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic event. The city is committed to working with Caltrans in its efforts to improve safety conditions on PCH while simultaneously exploring ways that the city can address PCH safety concerns within its jurisdictional ability.”
After the tragic incident that took the lives of four Pepperdine students — Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, Asha Weir, and Peyton Stewart — in October 2023, family, friends, and community members have been advocating to make PCH safer for all motorists and pedestrians.
The Ghost Tire memorial was placed a month after the incident occurred. The names of the four students were placed, as well as the names of every person killed along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu since 2010.
Malibu resident and film producer Michel Shane began promoting his film “21 Miles in Malibu” back in May 2023. He has been at every press conference, White Tire memorial, and the most recent City Council meeting on March 11 to continue his advocacy for not only the film but also the message behind the film, the education.
“I feel like my film can be a great vehicle for the city by having the city as one of our sponsors for this film and being a story that’s about Malibu for Malibu, it only makes sense that the city supports it,” Shane said at the meeting. “I would like very much to continue working on making this film, the film that creates the change that’s necessary.”
Shane hopes the film will influence new drivers to learn the rules of driving.
“If people’s attitudes don’t change, then you are just really reinforcing it,” Shane said. “My altruistic goal is to make it safer for everyone, whether it’s me or the next person, and everyone goes up from there.”
Shane said he is also working on a project that involves video games.
“What is the one thing they all have in common? They all play games, they all play on their phones, so I am working to develop a program that will take what we need to know from driving, what we need to know about speeding, create a game that they will want to play, and guess what’ll happen, they’ll learn the road, they’ll learn what’s going on without being lectured or forced to read something, and that will change their mindset,” Shane said.
Since the tragic accident, the community has been urging the city and Caltrans to make PCH safer, such as completing projects and bringing back CHP to enforce speeding on PCH.
“What needs to really be done is someone needs to go look at PCH, figure out which areas have to be slowed down, why they need to be slowed down, and that doesn’t mean having another five-year study,” Shane said. “So I think what the community has to realize is they have a voice. We just have to keep the pressure up.”
Shane said they will be screening the film at Malibu High School on May 1 for students and parents, with speakers such as Sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo, and LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
“We are going to be doing it in Calabasas and surrounding communities — anyone that’s using PCH — to just bring in awareness,” Shane said. “Yes. It’s a beautiful road, and yes, it’s a wide-open road, but yes, it can also take your life.”
