Malibu Park School Traffic Critics Seek Backup from the City

• Among Options under Consideration Is Suggestion Students Park in Zuma Beach Lot

BY SUZANNE GULDIMANN

The recently formed group called the Malibu Park Safety Coalition brought its concerns about traffic and safety at the Malibu Park area’s schools to a joint session of the City of Malibu’s five-member public safety commission and the city council’s public safety subcommittee last week.
Malibu Park resident Marshall Thompson called the Malibu High School Measure BB improvement plan, which includes traffic studies and a number of traffic improvement options, “a unique opportunity” to fix the long-standing traffic and safety issues at the school campus. “Now is the time when we can address safety, parking, and emergency access. I urge you to do the right thing,” he said.
Expecting lengthy testimony, commission chair Carol Randall told the speakers, “I urge you not to repeat.”
Steve Scheinkman, who lives across from the school on Morning View Drive, thanked the commission for endorsing MPSC’s position paper at its previous meeting. The group’s paper included a number of possible short-term solutions, including limiting parking on Morning View, to attempt to reduce what Sheinkman described as the “chronic dangers” of traffic congestion at the campus.
Sheinkman said he was optimistic that the school district’s Measure BB improvement plan for the high school campus has the potential to eventually remedy the situation, but expressed concern that any Measure BB funded improvements may be at least four years away.
“Everyone who has shown up [at the Measure BB improvement plan meetings] confirms that there is a safety problem,” Sheinkman said. “The city passed a program years ago that was never implemented. School officials, law enforcement, residents, parents, I don’t know what we need to do to move this forward. The school and the commission are trying to work together, however, it will be another four years. We need to have action today.”
Sheinkman urged the city council public safety subcommittee members, Councilmember Sharon Barovsky and Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich, to adopt MPSC’s proposal and to take immediate action.
“This is a recap,” Randall told Sheinkman. “The city can’t do anything. This is an information gathering meeting.”
“I know the frustration and have heard it for a long, long time,” Barovsky said. “I want the homeowners to understand what we can actually do.”
“Every high school and many middle schools have this problem,” City Manager Jim Thorsen stated. “Our emphasis is to work with the district and come up with a solution.”
“The 1998 plan, I’m disappointed that this was never implemented,” Conley Ulich told the commission.
“Every time I run by Zuma Beach in the morning, the parking lot is empty,” the mayor told the commission. “Why are we putting in a new parking lot when we have one that’s empty? I think this could be a short-term solution. The biggest complaint is carrying books. Guess what? It makes us all stronger.”
“That was one of the issues that was brought up at the meeting [with the school district’s traffic consultant], Randall said. “My only concern, I get really nervous when kids are crossing PCH.”
“The school has a number of programs where they take kids to walk on the beach,” Sheinkman said, describing how he has seen classes regularly crossing PCH to the beach during school hours.
“It’s already happening,” agreed Conley Ulich.
“They won’t ratify the EIR, unless the plans are safe,” Commissioner Marlene Matlow said.
“The EIR goes to planning. Recommendations will be made,” Thorsen added, explaining that both the environmental impact report and the conditional use permit will to be issued by the city, providing a greater measure of local control.
“I think we are in a really good place to do something,” Commissioner Rick Mullen said. “These citizens have done our work for us. This is the time to get what they need.”
“There’s no one in this room who doesn’t agree it’s a problem,” Randall said.
“We can cajole, we can make their life hell, but we can’t actually dictate to them,” Barovsky cautioned