Ben Marcus Rules

After the Palisades Fire I wrote a piece for The Malibu Times called Bu Back  Better, which stated “there is opportunity in disaster” and pointed to fires at  Notre Dame and Windsor Castle and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in  Santa Cruz as examples of disasters that cleared the way for positive changes. 

https://malibutimes.com/malibu-seen-bu-back-better 

There’s been a great deal of rattle and hum the last few years about making  Pacific Coast Highway through Malibu kinder, gentler and safer: Speed  cameras, roundabouts, reducing the speed limit, putting a landscaped divider  between east and west bound lanes, a bike path. Those are the changes I know about, but is there a master plan for what  CalTrans wants to do to make PCH safer and saner? 

Caltrans District 7 is currently developing a Master Plan Feasibility Study with input from  the community and stakeholders to identify and evaluate short-term, medium-term, and  long-term potential projects and potential funding sources that could be implemented to  improve safety and reduce the rate and severity of collisions within the portion of Pacific  Coast Highway (PCH).  

Caltrans will host a meeting in the future to release the draft Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)  Master Plan Feasibility Study and open the 45-day public comment period. 

Does CalTrans have more visualizations and mock ups like this one? 

Please visit https://engage.dot.ca.gov/f1336#tab-57394 to view the meeting materials that from previous meetings that include renderings. You can also view the surveys that have  more visuals.  

Does the Palisades Fire enable CalTrans' plan to make PCH kinder, gentler,  safer and slower more possible? 

Caltrans’ goal has always been to improve safety on PCH and we have had various safety  campaigns encouraging the public to slow down. The Palisades Fire caused a lot of damage to homes and infrastructure and our priority is to collaborate with our partners on  recovery efforts to reopen PCH safely. Caltrans will continue assessing the damage from  the fire and storms to identify repairs needed for PCH.  

PCH has been opening and closing like a sea anemone in the six weeks since the Palisades Fire. The closures are causing massive headaches for Malibu people who must commute east to work, and also to home and restaurant and other workers who now have to go around to Malibu Canyon and even Kanan to get to work. As of February 21, there is a restricted opening. But I wonder why the 134 Bus isn’t allowed to do a kind of express run from Santa Monica through the  burned zones and then doing all the normal steps in Malibu.

As part of the restricted reopening after the past storm, Caltrans announced that Metro bus service is allowed to be restored. Metro will be making any announcement on details to resumber Line 134. 

How much of the burden of clean up for PCH falls to CalTrans? 

Caltrans is responsible for maintaining PCH and will continue working with utilities and  public agencies on recovery efforts from the Palisades Fire. There is damage to slopes, traffic signals, guardrail, drainage, signs and other infrastructure that will need to be repaired.  

Are there CalTrans trucks mixed in with SCE and SoCal Gas and other  service trucks marauding PCH right now? 

Yes, Caltrans made repairs to damaged traffic signals along PCH.  Caltrans positioned equipment to clear debris flows in critical areas that have burn scars.  Our maintenance crews are patrolling PCH 24 hours during the storm. In addition, crews installed k-rails to hold the mudflow along the northbound shoulder of PCH and sandbags to protect homes in front of steep slopes. Caltrans placed steel plates and temporary  fencing at damaged retaining walls along PCH to fill the gap of the burned timber and applied temporary sheeting slopes as well. Crews are clearing minor debris as it comes  down to keep the highway open for emergency responders while PCH is closed to the  general public.

Is it fair for me to use Laguna Beach as a model for what PCH through Malibu could/should be: 35 miles an hour until Main Beach and then 25 miles an hour through the middle of town: from Webb Way or Cross Creek to as far east as is safe? 

The Master Plan Feasibility Study is the first step in identifying needs and possible options  for improving safety along Pacific Coast Highway, including the 21-mile segment in  Malibu. There will be further opportunities through the project development process to  develop projects that will address specific improvements for equitable and safe access for  all users. 

The focus of the PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study is to identify transportation  improvements that will address safety for all users, including multimodal travel options for  pedestrians and bicyclists…

A safe and sane bike lane connecting Santa Monica to Malibu would be great….

…as well as enhancing transit opportunities, for an approximately  22-mile portion of the Pacific Coast Highway located within the city limits of Malibu.  

Although new legislation provides for reduction of speeds in certain areas on the state  highways, speed zone surveys have to be completed to calculate the 85th percentile (speed  at or below what 85% of drivers are traveling) of all observed speeds. When motorists  ignore posted speeds and there are fewer patrols, the 85th percentile may be higher.  Increased enforcement is key to regulating speed limits on local streets and state highways. 
Everyone has a responsibility to use every road safely and travel within the traffic conditions. 

Once PCH reopens after the storm, it will only be one lane in each direction, the speed limit  will be reduced 25 miles per hour, and the signals will be on flashing red which need to be  treated as a stop sign.  

It bothers citizens that it took a year to get the speed cameras approved and it  will take another year to have them installed.  Is that the timeline? Do you know which speed camera company you'll be  using and the particulars of how they will be installed and operated? 

Recent legislation allowed for the city of Malibu to begin a pilot program to install speed cameras on PCH, which will be maintained and operated by the City of Malibu. Please reach out to the City of Malibu for a response to the progress of their pilot program. 

Has CalTrans had success installing roundabouts in other California cities? 

Yes, Caltrans has installed roundabouts in many cities in California. One roundabout was recently installed near the City of Hollister in San Benito County at the intersection of  State Route 25 and State Route 156. 

The Los Alamitos Traffic Circle in Long Beach connects PCH with State Route 19 (Lakewood Boulevard) and was modernized by Caltrans in the 90’s. 

I like roundabouts but fear them with SoCal drivers.  I've driven the roundabouts in Rio de Janeiro and they are terrifying. 

Here is a video from Caltrans about how to safely navigate  roundabouts: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1439893020035931. 

Are there plans for pedestrian overpasses or underpasses? Topanga could use  one. SurfRider could use one. Surfers shouldn't have to play Frogger with  their lives to reach the beach at Surfrider.
There are not any plans for pedestrian overpasses or underpasses. 

Please refer to the response on Master Plan.  Caltrans is in the process of community outreach engagement efforts for the PCH Master  Plan Feasibility Study. These efforts, which will include public meetings and surveys on  the study’s website, will be captured in the PCH Master Plan development report in early  2025. Six in-person public workshops have already taken place since July of 2024 to engage  the public on what type of elements they would like to see incorporated into future projects  to reduce speeding on PCH.  

Caltrans has a collaborative relationship with the City of Malibu and routinely discusses  issues and improvements for PCH. We have also collaborated on many projects, including  the PCH Traffic Signal Synchronization Project.  

What will happen to the feasibility plan? They made headway and now will  they have to start over?

Caltrans will host a meeting in the future to release the draft Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)  Master Plan Feasibility Study and open the 45-day public comment period. This meeting was delayed due to the Franklin Fire and now, the Palisades Fire. An announcement will be  made once the logistics are confirmed.  

Are they still paving in 2026? 

Yes, Caltrans will have a repaving project from Santa Monica to County Line. 

Haylynn Conrad and others are pushing for a Malibu Town Hall on The Future of PCH. A lot of citizens have questions and plans and it would be a pressure release to present those questions and plans to a panel that included CalTrans, Coastal Commission, City of Malibu, engineers, lawyers, Department of Water and Power, Malibu Public Works, LA County Public Works, LACOSD, LACO Fire department, LACAN, LACSD, MRCA, State Parks and any other agencies or deciders. 

Has CalTrans participated in a Town Hall like that?
Caltrans has actively participated in several town hall meetings with multiple agencies, including one recently focused on the Palisades Fire recovery, alongside Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, LA County Assessor Jeff Prang, representatives from LA County Public Works and Public Health, as well as officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. These meetings have provided Caltrans an opportunity to address public inquiries regarding the closure of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Caltrans remains committed to engaging the public on issues that are of importance to the community.

Thank you for your time. I’m sure your office is more than a little busy in the middle of this mess. 

You are welcome and appreciate your attention.