Dear Editor,
I have been a resident in Malibu since 1971 and have traveled PCH countless times since then. From having to take the school bus from Point Dume to Samohi (Santa Monica High) for three years during high school to driving 90 miles round trip every day to my office in Gardena, I have seen many accidents on our stretch of the coast highway. Both my parents and I have all had separate accidents on PCH (none of them our faults).
I am in favor of SB 1297 (speeding cameras on PCH). I think it is critical, however, that the city of Malibu also invest heavily in and install MANY (the more the better) BIG signs along PCH alerting out-of-town drivers of the presence of these cameras. Local drivers are not the majority of speeders on PCH.
I believe there should also be some kind of ONGOING public awareness campaign to constantly bring attention to these safety cameras. The main purpose of these cameras is to deter speeding, not give out speeding tickets. The only way they are going to deter speeding is if people actually know they are there. If there is no awareness of their presence, they will be useless. I think it would be great if well-known local Malibu celebrities would allow their images to be used in conjunction with the signs. That would get people’s attention.
Paul Casadio,
Malibu