The City of Malibu, in collaboration with Caltrans, is proposing a Pacific Coast Highway ("PCH") "improvement project" between Broad Beach Road and La Piedra Beach Road which includes (i) a reduction in lanes between Broad Beach Road and La Piedra Beach Road; (ii) requiring bicyclists to merge into one, single lane with vehicles; and (iii) the installation of two roundabouts at the intersections of and PCH/Encinal Canyon Road PCH/El Matador Beach Road.

In December 2025, the City of Malibu Planning Commission, in a narrow vote of 3-2, voted to approve the Project. The neighbors have appealed the Planning Commission decision to the City Council. The City Council is hearing the appeal on March 18, 2026.

PCH serves as a primary thoroughfare for the community, offering a critical link not only for daily commuters but also for emergency services and evacuation procedures. Reducing two lanes into one will lower vehicle capacity and limit emergency response flexibility in Western Malibu. The introduction of roundabouts will impede rescue efforts and delay evacuations, putting lives at risk.

Importantly, the safety and transportation impacts of the Project have not been evaluated. The Project was not approved or recommended by the 2015 PCH Safety Study Final Report, despite claims by staff to the contrary. The Final Report is available: https://www.malibucity.org/751/PCH-Safety-Study-Final-Report and shows a different roundabout location that is NOT in the midst of homes and driveways, a design which is in direct conflict to U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Highway Administration (“FHA”) guidance for roundabouts.  

Why is City staff not being honest with the public or decisionmakers? This is unknown. Perhaps because neither City staff nor Caltrans want to invest in new, updated studies or review.

The Project also proposes a NON-STANDARD roundabout design, a fact that was not disclosed to the Planning Commission or discussed by staff. No explanation or description of the non-standard features have been provided. The Project also does not comply with the City of Malibu Dark Sky Ordinance.

We cannot and should not allow a non-standard, un-analyzed project to proceed on PCH, a critical evacuation route arterial. 

Please sign to STOP THIS EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT from moving forward on PCH. The transportation hazards of such a Project MUST be evaluated before the City can adequately consider a project with the potential to inhibit evacuation procedures.

*To provide additional legitimacy to your signature, please consider including your Malibu address.

If you have any questions, please contact Brian at ulna-euro2k@icloud.com.