PCH Traffic Light Synchronization Project. Will It Solve the Problem?
After years of delays and foot-dragging, construction work has finally commenced on the PCH Traffic Light Synchronization Project. Though community members have advocated for better safety and mobility conditions on PCH for decades, it took Caltrans until last week to commence construction on a project that the City of Malibu approved on May 8, 2017. In those intervening six years and seven months of waiting, 29 people have been killed and 1,139 people injured, including the 4 Pepperdine students recently killed by a speeding driver on October 17, 2023.
Synchronization Project Summary
The synchronization project is intended to make Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) a "Smart Corridor" by installing communication lines between the existing traffic signals on PCH from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to John Tyler Drive, synchronizing the signals to existing traffic conditions. The signals will be controlled remotely by the Caltrans Traffic Management Center to lower traffic speeds and reduce congestion. Vehicles going over the speed limit will encounter red lights, while those going the speed limit will encounter green lights. As per the Malibu City Council website, “Improvements will include new closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras at each intersection, replace existing signal poles with new signal poles, street improvements and ADA upgrades, ATCS (Adaptive Traffic Control System) sensors, and changeable message signs. Mid-block sensors will enable Caltrans to monitor traffic flow and speed, then remotely adjust signal timing in the moment.”
Street work got underway on December 4th, and work hours will be Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, alternating lane closures in both directions. Summer work hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day) will be Monday through Friday, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm, with some nighttime work.
There was no announcement of how long this project will take to finish, but it’s estimated that it will take most of 2024 or possibly into 2025.
This Won’t Solve the Problem
We are glad that this long-overdue project is finally moving forward, and it will probably help, but it won't solve the problem. First, the project covers only 7.7 of the 21 miles of PCH in Malibu. This leaves 13.3 miles without any synchronized signals. Second, the project synchronizes only 12 traffic lights. This isn’t enough to properly manage speeding. Long sections of PCH in this 7.7-mile stretch have no signal — as long as 1.72 miles (Topanga Canyon Blvd to Big Rock Drive). 1.72 miles is plenty of distance for a reckless driver to get up to 70, 80, or 100+ MPH. As a comparison, in the County of Los Angeles, there is an average traffic signal every 0.24 miles.
This project does little to solve the fundamental problem – PCH, which has a speed limit of 45 MPH (meaning the average driver is doing 55 MPH), is essentially a freeway through Malibu's dense business and residential zones.
Caltrans Can and MUST Do Better
Streets Are For Everyone will continue its work as part of FixPCH, the Malibu community group advocating for road safety improvements on PCH, and it will continue to pressure Caltrans to make additional safety changes – lowering the speed limit and making quick-build changes that have been proven to save lives. Unfortunately, with 4-8 people killed on this stretch of PCH every year, it’s only a matter of time before the next person dies while we keep the pressure on Caltrans to speed up its painfully slow pace.
How Can You Help?
Please sign the petition by community member Michel Shane to demand changes to Fix PCH. Stay tuned for petition updates, as we will launch other calls to action soon.