The City of Malibu, Senators Fran Pavley and Ben Allen, Assemblymember Richard Bloom, and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) held a press conference and screened a new video promoting safety on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), followed by a bicycle safety rodeo for kids on May 8 as part of the multi-agency efforts to improve safety on PCH.
“PCH is one of the most iconic scenic highways and busy commercial and commuting corridors in California, so this safety video and bike rodeo are valuable tools in our efforts to keep it safe for all of its users,” said Senator Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) at the event at Malibu Library.
“Motorists, cyclists, beachgoers, businesses and travelers all depend on the safety of PCH, so I am proud to support this event and be a part of the PCH Safety Taskforce efforts,” said Senator Allen (D-Santa Monica).
“Millions of people use PCH every single day, from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica, to the Ventura County Line, and every one of them can be a partner in keeping PCH safe,” said Assemblymember Bloom (D-Santa Monica).
“PCH is such an iconic scenic highway, but it’s also Malibu’s Main Street, and our daily life depends on PCH traffic flowing smoothly and safely every day. I hope this video and bike rodeo will help get everyone on board to keep PCH safer,” said Malibu Mayor John Sibert.
“PCH ranks as one of California’s most recognizable highways, while serving the needs of millions of vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists daily,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “While making sure PCH keeps its unique character, this Safety Corridor project will take necessary steps to insure the highway is safe for all users.”
The video that was screened for the public features a fictional group therapy session, where characters representing a Pedestrian, a Commuter, a Resident, a Cyclist and PCH herself discuss how important PCH is to them, and their concerns about traffic and safety. PCH reminds them all to slow down and pay attention, or risk a bad accident. In the end, they all “hug it out.” The video will be broadcast on local government TV channels in the area along the PCH corridor, and on social media.
The actress who played the PCH character in the video was on hand in character for photo opportunities with attendees at the event.
The bike rodeo was hosted by Safe Moves, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization dedicated to traffic safety education. It featured a miniature obstacle course with cut-outs of cars, street signs and traffic signals that kids could navigate to learn bicycle and traffic safety, and drawings for prizes.
The video and the bike rodeo were funded by the PCH Taskforce Safety Corridor grant, awarded to the City of Malibu from OTS, which also funded changeable message signs to display traffic safety and emergency messages, pedestrian and bicycle safety assessments and trainings, and educational outreach to all users of PCH.
PCH Taskforce was formed over a decade ago and works together to find solutions to keeping PCH safe for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and residents. It focuses on unsafe speed, unsafe pedestrian crossings, education on bicycle laws, and incidents of DUI in order to reduce the number of injuries and deaths to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians along the corridor.
The PCH Taskforce is an active coalition comprised of community representatives, pedestrian and bicycle advocates, law enforcement, traffic engineers, Caltrans, and local and state elected officials. The taskforce jurisdiction stretches from the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica to the Ventura County line including the cities of Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Malibu and unincorporated Los Angeles County.
Funding was provided by a grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
