Amid New Safety Programs, Malibu Workers grapple with Commuting and Parking along PCH
A car parks alongside PCH, near Surfrider beach in Malibu. With limited parking spaces and busy traffic, Malibu city officials stress the need for commuters to exercise enhanced caution when making a stop on the iconic beachside highway (Photos by Kenneth Vargas).
April 15, 2024
As Malibu city officials implement safety initiatives to combat hazardous driving conditions on PCH, Malibu Pier employees said they continually struggle with commuting and finding parking along the iconic beachside highway.
Following a string of deadly crashes along PCH that have killed 58 people since 2010, including an October 2023 crash that killed four Pepperdine seniors, city officials classified driving conditions along PCH as “a public safety threat for residents, visitors, motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists who use and live, work and recreate on PCH”, according to the 2024 PCH safety report conducted by the City of Malibu.
In response, the city has enacted a number of safety initiatives, both immediate and long-term – including a dedicated CHP Malibu taskforce, legislation to install LIDAR speeding cameras, public safety education campaigns, and a re-design of PCH – and have pushed Caltrans operators to speed up safety measures implemented along the highway as they have jurisdictional authority. Still, workers say they must remain extra cautious when commuting to PCH.
“A lot of people drive pretty crazy over here,” Malibu Farm server Graham O’Connor said. “And when you're trying to parallel park with people flying by you, not really looking where they're going, it's pretty dangerous.”
Compounding this unsafe parking experience is the absence of designated parking spaces for workers at Malibu Pier and other local restaurants, leading to parallel parking spaces along PCH frequently full of cars.
“I know Pepperdine is like five minutes away but I leave like 30 minutes in advance just because parking on PCH is always a bit of a hassle,” Ranch at the Pier employee Ximena Alvarez Parra said. “I try to always park on the side of the pier so that I can avoid crossing, but it's like, super high radar of just my safety and worry of crossing PCH.”
Pedestrians use an enforced crosswalk near the Malibu Pier to walk across PCH. While the highway does have enforced crosswalks throughout Malibu’s jurisdiction, residents and tourists are frequently seen illegally running across PCH to make it to their destination, creating increased potential hazard for motorists and pedestrians, according to Malibu city public safety director Susan Dueñas.
With limited additional space along the highway and its multi-use function as a commuting route, a residential neighborhood, a business district and a destination for beachgoers, Malibu city public safety director Susan Dueñas says it is challenging for the city to address the lack of parking along PCH.
“We're looking at trying to encourage more Park and Ride situations, beach buses, things like that, to reduce the demand for parking,” Dueñas said. “I think that's to some degree incumbent on the private businesses to come up with ideas like maybe negotiating with another business that has excess parking or wants to rent some of their spots.”
Dueñas said Malibu city will also increase parking enforcement along PCH to mitigate illegal parking that creates increased hazard for motorists and pedestrians. January 2024 saw 972 traffic violations in Malibu, a 5% increase from 2023, according to the 2024 LA County Sheriff Crime Statistics Report.
“We're such a car culture, everybody wants to have their own car,” Dueñas said. “It's hard to imagine, I guess [it’s] possible where you have a day where you're not really driving to Malibu, you're going to a place where you then get on a bus and then you're [riding] a trolley that goes back and forth.”
While Dueñas admits these are her own imaginative ideas, a need for sustained long-term interest from state and city governments is what the Malibu community needs to address their concerns with PCH. In the meantime, Dueñas suggests exercising extra caution when commuting and parking along PCH.
“We just all need to be more conscious of our speed,” Dueñas said. “Don't trust anyone to see you. Don't ever believe that someone sees you, be a defensive driver.”
Red tape changes the number to 59 at the PCH memorial where fifty-eight “ghost tires” act as a memorial for the 58 people who have been killed on PCH since 2010. Created by concerned members of the Malibu community, the memorial highlights the community’s resolve to make PCH a safer road and prevent further death.
