More signs on PCH

Those dramatic ocean vistas that come with a drive down PCH in Malibu are going to soon change. At least a little. There are a good number of safety signs coming, according to the Malibu Times. Several digital "Your Speed Is..." signs will be installed by Caltrans. But that's the beginning:

March of last year, the PCH Safety Taskforce Committee, led by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, had said that 26 "Share the Road" signs would be installed along the highway from Santa Monica to Point Mugu. The signs would remind drivers that bicyclists have a legal right to use the roadways. The reorganization of the PCH Safety Taskforce Committee and the proposal of the signs came after the deaths of two bicyclists who were hit by a catering truck while riding on Pacific Coast Highway in the fall of 2005.

Do you think these signs will make PCH safer? Hit the comment button and have your say!

Comments

[Gabor]

Cycling a bike on PCH is pure suicide. If the biker is hit by a truck either with 30 or 50 mph, the biker is dead. The lanes on PCH are just too narrow. The road is curvy and uneven. Therefore, this signs are useless - waste of money. What is needed is a seperate bike lane apart from the cars' road (if you are looking for good examples, visit any city in Europe). I very much support bike lanes. There should be much more in Santa Monica and L.A.

[dmitriy]

Dave to reply to your comment regarding what Massachusetts pd does, if taht would to happen in California, it would result in police being sued for having to wait unresonable amount of time as being pulled over=being detained and supreme court said an officer can only retain a person for resonable amount of time. 1 hour of waiting ot get a ticket is not resonable in any way, shape of form. I suspect that is the main reason why CHP do not do what you suggest

[dave]

Cyclists get no respect whatsoever from drivers. Mindless SUV, Hummer, HUGE PICK UP TRUCK morons with cell phones hanging out their ears, reading the paper, playing with the PC, watching TV while one finger driving leads to cyclist being MURDERED. If we really want to protect cyclists, build a wide bike lane with a 4 foot concrete wall to separate it from vehicle traffic. Putting "Your Speed Is" units is useless as is putting cops there. Both are completely ineffective. The first is simply ignored. The second, cops, can only pull one miscreant over in 1/2 hour. Meanwhile the rest of the speeders blissfully zip on by. If you really want to inflict pain, do as the Massachusetts State Police do. Put 2 cops in a speed trap. One "marks" the speeders while the other is 3/4 mile up the road siging the offenders over to the side. He then lets them pile up for an hour or so before writing tickets. REALLY pisses off the speeders as they are now truly inconvenienced! Teaches a great lesson when accompanied by, say, a $500 ticket. Also the cops should check every single drive for current tags. license and insurance. That alone will result in many, many more tickets. Hey Arnold....got you motorcycle license yet? Wannna make a bet?

[bg mendell]

Back in the day, every Saturday at 6am, I would head out from Marina del Rey on my trusty vintage Falcon 10-speed heading north working my way to PCH then up the beautiful coast to the Malibu Inn for a French (are we still using the word French these days?) toast breakfast; the timing would work because it would get me back off of PCH and into Marina del Rey before10am (after 10am, PCH was too competitive with the 3,000 to 6,000 pound Detroit iron deadly weapons zooming by 10-18 inches from me at 50+mph--without a care or courtesy in the world).
Still one week-end a month after breakfast at the Malibu Inn,
I would venture on northward stopping at vegetable stands along PCH for apples, strawberries and bananas (bicyclist fuel food) arriving at
The Channel Islands Inn on the beach in Oxnard where I would spend the rest of my Saturday afternoon and night.
Come first thing Sunday morning I would have the Continental Breakfast at The Channel Islands Inn then hop on my trusty Falcon and retrace my ride along PCH from the day before arriving in Marina del Rey about 1pm.
Those were the days, my friend.....but, since the cliffside retainer walls have been erected along the Santa Monica-Malibu stretch of PCH, bicycling in groups fewer than 50 is more than an adventure. And, I no longer ride north on my week-ends. I'm sure the Malibu Inn has endured the financial hit since.

[Dominick Panameno]

Oh yeah, more distraction to an already distracted driver. Get rid of those "special signs" and put one or two more motorcycle officers, ready to give a ticket to any motorists that breaks the rule. That would make anybody slow down and think what they are doing when they drive down PCH.

[Dmitriy]

Bad idea, when ever i see digital speed sign i hit the gas to see how fast i can get my car to go by the time i get to the sign,i suspect i am not the only one that does this. Those people that are speeding aleady know they are speeding so this signs will not make a big difference if any difference at all. Regarding signs about bicyclist, i suspect they also will not help much but it will not hurt to have them