Officials Announce Safety Proposals for PCH

Legislators and law enforcement authorities gathered Friday on Pacific Coast Highway near where a 16-year-old girl was killed in a head-on collision to announce proposals to improve safety on the busy roadway.

Sheriff Sherman Block announced that he has asked Caltrans to immediately undertake a study to determine whether constructing a solid median would help prevent fatal accidents.

Four people have died in PCH accidents in the past four months, including Palisades High School student Sabrina Csato, who was killed March 3 when a driver in the oncoming lanes crossed over the center line in the 27000 block of PCH.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) said Friday that the transportation bill passed by the House of Representatives April 1 includes a $650,000 appropriation for safety improvements on PCH.

If approved by a congressional conference committee, Sherman said, the money will be used to set up a low-frequency traffic information radio station for PCH and to design and begin construction on a median.

A PCH median spanning Malibu would cost at least $10 million, Sherman said. He said he hopes a Congress will ratify a transportation agreement by May 1.

Also attending Friday’s press conference at Geoffrey’s restaurant were state Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica), Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and the entire Malibu City Council.