MALIBU—In the past five months, four people have been killed on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), including DeWayne Coleman, who was recently killed this June by an alleged drunk driver. In February, Kim Howe was killed in a crash involving Caitlyn Jenner.
DeWayne Coleman was a father and brother and was considered by his brother, Danny Williams, to be the heart and soul of the family. The family’s attorney Bobby Saadian made a statement to Fox11 of Los Angeles that he thinks the crash could have been prevented if the PCH was safer, and that he’s hopeful that his lawsuit will force some changes that aren’t already underway. This week, it was announced that Malibu’s City Council is considering a plan to make the busy highway safer.
The PCH is a 22-mile stretch of hazardous curves and turns. The proposed plan recommends 150 road improvements, some small and some large. The improvements include extending bike lanes, adding traffic circles, fixing cracks in the road, and adding more parking lots. The plan estimated cost is $20 million, and is hoped to get funding through Los Angeles County’s Measure R sales tax, or through federal or state grants.
The plan stems from a study that has been underway for nearly three years, finding that PCH’s busy shoulders are the most hazardous because there’s so much competition between bicyclists, pedestrians, parked cars and buses to use it. Another issue found in the study was that drivers are often confused by the inconsistent street signs and red-painted curbs, resulting in reckless driving.
On June 22, the City Council unanimously approved the plan involving traffic signal synchronization, shoulder-widening, raised medians, among those mentioned above. Malibu Mayor John Sibert stated, “The goal is to make PCH safer and less congested” making notes to the 15 million tourists and adventurers that flock to the small town of 13,000 people every year.
