Caltrans hears from Malibu supporters of safety on Pacific Coast Highway
Believe it or not, there was a time in Malibu, not too long ago, when many of the city’s residents abhorred the idea of adding more traffic signals to Pacific Coast Highway. Those in opposition to traffic lights claimed abrupt braking before the signals would lead to more traffic accidents and would slow their commute times on the busy highway. But with renewed calls for safety on the deadly highway that has claimed 61 lives since 2010 and due to scores of other accidents with injuries there’s a growing urgency to make whatever changes are necessary, no matter how inconvenient, in furtherance of greater safety to pedestrians and drivers.
Caltrans, the state agency that facilitates Malibu’s thoroughfare, PCH, heard loud and clear from residents and city officials who pleaded to make a temporary stoplight at Guernsey Avenue and PCH permanent. On Monday, Aug. 25, Caltrans Public Affairs Alisa Almanzan issued this statement to The Malibu Times: “At Caltrans, safety is paramount to make Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) safer for all road users. We are working expeditiously to restore the crosswalk and traffic signals while we conduct the required engineering evaluations to identify the appropriate traffic control measures at this location. We anticipate the traffic signals will be operational this Saturday, (sic) Aug. 23. The restoration of the crosswalk delineation is currently planned for Thursday, Aug. 28.
“The traffic signal at the Guernsey Ave. intersection with PCH was a temporary measure while Caltrans worked to replace the Trancas Creek Bridge. As the construction phase for this project is nearing completion, the signal and crosswalk were scheduled to be removed.
We value the partnership with the city of Malibu and look forward to our continued collaboration on this and other important matters on PCH.”
As of Tuesday, Aug. 26, the traffic signal and crosswalk were operational, allowing pedestrians to make a safer passage across PCH from Zuma Beach.
The City of Malibu urged Caltrans to make the Guernsey Avenue signal permanent in a social media post:
“The City of Malibu has heard from many community members who value the temporary traffic signal at Guernsey Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway for improving safety and access to Zuma Beach. The signal was originally installed by Caltrans during the Trancas Bridge replacement project to provide safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists during construction, and was scheduled for removal once the project was completed. The project was recently completed, but in response to community requests, the City requested that Caltrans delay removal of the signal. The City is now working closely with Caltrans to evaluate possible solutions and the steps needed to determine if the signal can be made permanent. We will keep the community updated.”
A vocal proponent of safety measures on the highway, Malibu City Councilmember Haylynn Conrad, earlier told supporters of the light and crosswalk, “This is not just about one traffic light. It is about a broken system on this state highway … This is about an elected official and mother in the city of Malibu that just has been ravaged by a historic fire who is angry and exhausted by the government and this one traffic signal will be that very symptom that illustrates a much bigger issue in this city and state. Malibu residents and Malibu’s elected officials are ignored again and again. The world sees us shouting at City Hall meetings and at our wits’ end, but they never see the process that drives us there. There’s a process of a thousand papercuts and it’s decisions like this are exactly what push people past their limits.
“I have received more than a dozen emails from outraged residents about something as simple as this. ‘Just leave the light — simple: LEAVE THE LIGHT. This will be the simplest thing you do today — leave the light.’
“That stretch is a drag strip, a straight shot where people rev their engines at the light and launch full speed next to a middle and high school where kids are surfing steps away.”
Conrad suggested more constructive meetings with Caltrans on safety issues. “Residents are traumatized and exhausted,” she said. “We are tired of being dictated to by outside agencies that do not live here and do not face the dangers we face every day on this road.”
Upon learning of the news the light will stay, Conrad reacted, “The fact that we were actually heard by a government agency as big as Caltrans is extraordinary. This community could use a win. Even the smallest wins make the ocean of noes we all deal with worth it.” The councilmember wanted to thank Public Works Director Rob DuBoux, Interim City Manager Candace Bond, Interim Deputy City Manager Richard Rojas, their teams, and all the residents who reached out.
