Caltrans Will Present Continuous Bike Lane Proposal For Western Half Of PCH, Which Will Eliminate Some Parking – Planning Comm Votes 5-0 To Consider Changes

Caltrans emerged with a unanimous vote of endorsement from the Malibu Planning Commission last night … a key portion might be changed in a surprising way.

The state engineers agreed to come back with plans to eliminate some parking in narrow places, to allow continuous spike lines to be painted on both sides of the highway between Trancas and the Malibu Creek bridge.

The eastern part of the city will get a similar treatment under a separate project next year, Caltrans’s officials said

State engineers had planned to add chunks of painted bike lanes along PCH … but leave bicyclists to blend in with traffic in places where the road is too narrow to paint a lane between parking and the roadway.

The Planning Commission last night approved most of the state’s plan for narrower lanes and the western part of Pacific Coast Highway. 

Under the state’s proposal, traffic lanes would be shrunk from 12 or 14 feet wide to 11 feet, which is the same with of PCH lanes in eastern Malibu. Many freeway lanes are also only 11 feet wide, and traffic engineers say the 12 foot wide PCH lanes encourage drivers to drive too fast.

For more than four hours last night … planning commission members all had their own expert opinions to voice … picking apart what Caltrans safety engineers have spent two years coming up with.  That left the chief Caltrans safety engineer, Lee Faber, sounding exasperated.

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“Is it perfect? I don’t think we’ll ever reach perfect.

“I’ve been with this team working hard for two-plus years.

“I’m gonna ask you to give that some consideration folks.”

That was Caltrans LA District safety chief Lee Faber … frustrated … two hours into the four hour long session.

Take for example .. the issue of parking versus bike lanes.

Caltrans requested bike lanes that end when the road is narrow … this to preserve parking along beaches … to make the coastal Commission happy. 

Faber says that was a necessary tradeoff. 

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“I asked the question about parking versus no parking, because our team has worked this through.  We have looked extensively at local access problems.  We have looked at different trade-offs we can make.

And there are just some places where parking will have to go if bike lanes are painted in.   Up til now … the state considered parking to be sacred.

They will come back to the commission in two weeks with a plan that sacrifices some parking.

Even commissioners in favor of painted bike lanes asked why the lanes cannot be physically protected from traffic.

The Caltrans safety boss says they looked at that … for two years … and found numerous safety issues would actually be created by installing bike lane protection.

Again … Lee Faber. 

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“Do you remember, we talked earlier about concerns about evacuation routes.

“One of the trade-offs that you get into with putting in a protected bike lane is those protection devices can act as wheel stops and if there’s a need to get through that area or push vehicles to the side… yi will push the up against a wheel stop … and then they are not going to move further”

So .. protected bike lanes are out.

Five Malibu residents … who repeatedly speak out against bike lanes at city hall  meetings … spoke out again.  Scott Dittrich was one.

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“I think Caltrans has lost its way. This is a half assed measure. 

“Putting.a bunch of paint on the side?  Somebody’s texting on their phone that’s gonna protect the bike? I don’t think so.”

Another item of contention … streetlights.

Several pedestrians have been struck and killed on PCH in the dark sections of western Malibu.

Caltrans plans to install street lights at just a few of those locations … where crash data shows that motorists could use some help.

Planning commissioner Elizabeth Riddick said putting in lights ia a necessary tradeoff … a tradeoff of safety against Malibu’s traditional darkness at night. 

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“Malibu has shouted very very loud that it is extremely important that we make PCH safe…. to try and help get our highway safer.

“And I think we know that is much as we don’t want any lights. I personally sometimes can’t see. 

“It’s very, very dark on the highway.”

The planning commission asked Caltrans to try to reduce their plans for streetlights in Western Malibu … reduce but not eliminate.

But the overall concern from some of the Planning Commission was predictable. 

The old Malibu mantra of preserving the rural community … versus the very real and very present need to make the bloody highway safer using proven safety devices … in direct conflict.

Some of those safety devices are  … oh oh … used in the big bad city.

CommissionerJohn Mazza.

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“We have a General Plan and we have other safety factors to figure in.  Evacuation is one of them.

“So if we go through each one of these and think safety and the general plan at the same time. 

“Because the general plan said specifically for this project that everything north of Malibu Creek has to be rural.”

But the Malibu General Plan means squat compared to a state law … and state law requires Caltrans to add safety measure s loin bike lanes and oedestrian features when they repave a road if feasible. 

If feasible … the commissioners sparred on that last night. 

Last night … planning commissioner Elizabeth Riddick challenged Mazza repeatedly.

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RIDDICK: “These people have been working on this day and a day out to try and make this highway safer and then you wanna send it back because you know better???”

MAZZA: “I didn’t say send it back.  But you have a situation here where they are making it less safe than it is.

RIDDICK: “I don’t think I agree with that, John

“You think that these gentlemen who have studied, gone to school, spent day and night analyzing driving out here, doing reports, looking at analysis …

“You think that they are proposing something that is less safe than what is currently there?

MAZZA: “Yes.  I think that putting in a bike lane .. that ends … just ends … is deadly.”

RIDDICK: “I agree. I agree it’s not optimal. I agree with you.”

MAZZA: “It’s not optimal and it’s dangerous.”

So … put in continuous bike lane on both sides of the road … no gaps. 

Caltrans traffic engineers had left the gaps in to preserve parking. 

Now … Caltrans has agreed to come back in two weeks … with a plan to connect the various bike lane segments … which would mean eliminating some coastal access parking. 

The Coastal Commission is not going to like that … is the fear. 

In the end … Mazza voted with the majority in a unanimous vote. 

Caltrans staff said they would try to incorporate the changes recommended by the Planning Commission … and circle back for final approval in two weeks.

It’s possible that someone might appeal this to the city council … after 4th vote in 13 days.

MRCA Board OKs Joe Edmiston Closing Trails Above Malibu On Very Windy Days

The MRCA advisory board gave unanimous approval to giving Joe Edmiston power to close parkland and hiking trails when high winds create a fire hazard.

Several malibu residents travelled to the board meeting of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy last night … to testify in favor. 

They said having panicking hikers in their neighborhoods … with smoke on the horizon … has happened before.

Suzy Way … lives near the Ramirez Canyon trailhead on Winding Way, 

And she described trying to help hikers get out of that area when the Palisades Fire suddenly roared to life earlier this year.

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“On January 7, I actually lived it. We had no power we had no cell service. I went out to go get gas and I saw the smoke in the air and I thought that fire was just over the hill.

“So I began shuttling people from the trail down back to their cars again, and it only took until like three people later did someone say it’s in the Palisades .

“So those were a very real fire eventfor me … still traumatized by the whole fire thing.”

The measure passed with a unanimous vote and one abstention.

But two board members said it as not really necessary.

The city of Malibu had asked MRCA to close its parks and open space to the public right after there recent palisade Fire … and Edmsiton instantly complied.

Daniel Rossman from Pasadena pointed out that Joe Edmsiton has police powers … and has used them to close the rrails before.

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Joe, may not be the king of England, but I would read this as within your prerogative currently to take measures to protect life and safety of visitors to the park.

“So I’m not actually convinced we need to – as a body – take action on it.

“But I appreciate that this discussion may be helpful in giving cover to what may otherwise be a controversial decision.”

The measure reaffirms the agency’s power to close its land during red flag alerts. 

Malibu Asked To Conserve Water Tonight

Los Angeles County says they have some urgent repair work on the one and only water main that serves Malibu and Topanga Canyon tonight and tomorrow.

The 30 inch water pipe that runs up Pacific Coast Highway needs a repair at coastline Drive… Next to the Getty Villa Museum.
Water tanks are being filled up in Malibu to last us all night and the county hopes to have repairs completed early tomorrow.

Waterworks district 29 officials are asking Malibu residence to put their outdoor sprinklers on “rain hold” and to limit indoor water use to essential purposes only for the next day.

Another Experienced City Employee Leaves City Employment

Another midlevel city employee is set to leave Malibu City Hall.   

Wednesday is the last day for Reneika Brooks in what used to be the Planning Department .. now called Community Service.

Her next destination in life was not announced.

It’s a real loss in institutional memory, said her colleague, Tyler Eaton, at last night’s Planning Commission meeting.

He recalled that Reneika Brooks and he together ran the planing department during one of the city hall upheavals in the past years.

Santa Barbara County Gingerly Moves To Phase Out Oil Production

New oil drilling could be banned in Santa Barbara County.

That county could take the first major steps toward banning new oil and gas development in the county today,

The board os supervisors there has already asked staff members to look at the steps which would be necessary to bring an end to fossil fuel production in the county

And the  county officials suggest a two stop approach.

They say an ordinance to ban the drilling of new oil and gas wells could be developed and ready for adoption in about six months.

But they also say the concept of phasing out existing projects is more complex and could take three years.

There are 17 offshore oil platforms either on federal or state ocean bottoms in the Santa Barbara Channel.

They are up current from Malibu … and some of the major oil spills uop there have coated Malibu beaches.

Vons Opens Slick New Store Near 10 Freeway Tunnel

A new supermarket has opened that is actually pretty convenient for people heading home to Malibu from the 10 freeway.

Actually … it’s an old supermarket …

Vons has opened a giant new store at Lincoln and Broadway … in the space it has occupied for decades next to the freeway exits at the end of the Santa Monica Freeway.

It’s got a huge fresh bakery and something called a Walk-Up & Go option … next to the ubiquitous Starbucks.

A 280-unit  apartment and condo complex was built on the site iff there old Vons at Lincoln and Broadway.

Santa Monica officials are calling the supermarket the anchor of their  “The Renaissance Agenda. ” 

Jack In The Box To Take Hot Sauce Bath On Del Taco Fiasco

Three years ago … Jack in the Box bought Del Taco for $575 million.

This week … they sold it for 115 million dollars. 

That’s a lot of tacos flushed down the drain. 

One analyst says “Jack in the Box made a very, very bad decision to buy Del Taco in 2022,” 

The clowns at Jack In The Box corporate HQ say the haircut “is an important step in returning to simplicity.”

Jack In The Box still sells alleged tacos at its drive thru in Malibu.