Southern California - CalTrans lane closure on PCH/Malibu

I got a note from my club today:
"We have also just proposed that CalTrans help implement a PCH policy of a required "speed reduction" in all PCH construction/road work zones that require cyclists to merge into traffic lanes. The reality of that single remaining lane of "shared" passage having no reduction in speed is nuts! We've got to slow traffic to safe speeds in these zones where "sharing the road" is required. Afterall, PCH IS a designated cycling route by the State of California."

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Date: February 25, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY CLOSURE SCHEDULED

MALIBU – The California Department of Transportation will close one lane of northbound Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1) between Corral Canyon and Latigo Canyon beginning Monday, February 25 for approximately four weeks.

The closure is to enable emergency rock removal due to a rock slide.

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Some of you may have seen a taste of this on Joel's Mulholland ride last week (if you were coming north/west on PCH towards Latigo.) It's pretty tight - the shoulder is closed off, as is the right lane. Since there is a raised divider, both autos and bicycles have to squeeze through the single lane - and those cars are not slowing down very much.

Autos and bicycles should not be squeezing through a "substandard width lane". I'd ride in the middle of the lane and the cars can wait.

from CVC 21202(a)(3)
...
a "substandard width lane" is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
...

LATEST UPDATE:

Fellow La Grangers,

I strongly advise cyclists to stay off of PCH on the northbound (land side) from the downhill just beyond Malibu Canyon to Puerco Canyon Road. The current absence of shoulder, the placement of k-rails forcing cyclists to suddenly share the road with the fast lane of traffic, the huge road equipment at work, the presence of gravel in the narrow remaining lane creates a nightmare for not only cyclists -- but all traffic.

You should also know that K-rails have been placed at the half-way point of the major downhill just north of Malibu Canyon. This is the hill where both cyclists and traffic pick up speed just south of the 76 Union station. The k-rails suddenly compress all traffic to the fast lane.

CalTrans has contracted hillside repair and work that will last 4-weeks. We have received word that conditions will get more complex and the remaining lane will become even more compressed as huge, earth moving equipment is scheduled to be brought in later this week.

Please understand we know the issues related to how this has been handled and communicated -- and that we are presenting these issues to CalTrans. The big concern for now is your SAFETY!

We also have concern for word reaching unaffiliated, weekend riders. Please do what you can to spread the word. We will keep you posted and updated.

*** UPDATE ***

PCH Construction Site -- We've been heard!

I suspect we have been heard -- and it has also been because of the help of Senator Sheila Kuehl's office. I also want to thank LaGranger Lee XXXX who, time and again, acts as our eyes and ears on PCH. Thank you!

Because of our ongoing efforts in making direct claims about the the danger and lack of bicycle accommodation on this project and with the help of Laurie XXXXX in Senator Kuehl's office -- the powers-that-be at CalTrans convened an internal pow wow yesterday to re-examine the permit conditions and plans for that major hillside repair project running from Corral to Latigo. These are the reported results of that meeting.

Bottom line... the plans and permits conditions will be reportedly amended as follows:
CalTrans maintenance and traffic investigation divisions will draft and approve a traffic plan to close N/B (completely for 4 weeks), keeping 4 ft for the bicycles and detouring the traffic from the N/B to S/B. S/B will be 2-lane highway: N/B and S/B. This detour will start on Monday the 3rd of March with Cozeep presense to enforce the traffic. ("Cozeep" means ongoing CHP presence.) Caltrans will continue to monitor this project and keep the public informed of traffic conditions.Bicycles will be accommodated in the NB direction in this section with an optional lane separated with a k-rail, and in the SB direction there will be a least a 4-foot shoulder provided.

Hey folks, this is a big deal -- but, for the sake of safety be super alert through this zone. It is still a construction site. Now comes the work of seeing that such protocol is "indeed" standardized operating procedure.

Ride safely and have fun.

Anyone been through there with a first hand report?

I was up there last Friday (3/14). I started at Malibu Cyn, headed North, and found it was still quite narrow on PCH going NB just before Sycamore Cyn and right at Latigo. There was no sign of any 4 ft. wide "bike lane".

At Sycamore, it was one lane only for 100 yards or so, with very little room. Plus, it's headed uphill so it's not possible to get a lot of speed going to zip through the narrow section.

Near Latigo, there's a shorter section you have to get through, then it's just coned off so you can ride inside the cones and out of traffic. Still a bit of a squeeze.

I was there at a slower time of day. A lot of traffic would be pretty insane to have to deal with.

Thanks for the update. I think I'll jigger my route.

Near Latigo, there's a shorter section you have to get through, then it's just coned off so you can ride inside the cones and out of traffic. Still a bit of a squeeze.

We went through that section last Wednesday, and there was a patrol car parked in the middle of the road monitoring the situation. When we approached (8 riders?), he pulled into the lane flashing his lights and held traffic for us. I'm sure they aren't doing that for all the cyclists, though -- and that section is not wide enough for a car to pass a cyclist, so you would need to be highly visible in taking the entire lane. It is a short section, though, where traffic would be navigating slowly anyway, so you wouldn't be causing any kind of (additional) bottleneck.

Saturday (the 15th) I got a CHP escort through that section.
I was flagged down by an officer standing next to two CHP cruisers.
I expect some kind of s*** about closed to cyclists, find another route etc.
Instead he said wait here, we're gonna escort you through.
They waited for a clot of traffic to pass then blocked the road and waved me on.
Very cool.

Saturday (the 15th) I got a CHP escort through that section.
I was flagged down by an officer standing next to two CHP cruisers.
I expect some kind of s*** about closed to cyclists, find another route etc.
Instead he said wait here, we're gonna escort you through.
They waited for a clot of traffic to pass then blocked the road and waved me on.
Very cool.



Very cool indeed! :)

Saturday (the 15th) I got a CHP escort through that section.
I was flagged down by an officer standing next to two CHP cruisers.
I expect some kind of s*** about closed to cyclists, find another route etc.
Instead he said wait here, we're gonna escort you through.
They waited for a clot of traffic to pass then blocked the road and waved me on.
Very cool.

AWESOME!!!!

Saturday (the 15th) I got a CHP escort through that section.
I was flagged down by an officer standing next to two CHP cruisers.
I expect some kind of s*** about closed to cyclists, find another route etc.
Instead he said wait here, we're gonna escort you through.
They waited for a clot of traffic to pass then blocked the road and waved me on.
Very cool.

Sweet!

Did you ride really fast, or take your sweet time, giving the cars behind you "the look"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7THIhZEP4QM


;)

Saturday (the 15th) I got a CHP escort through that section.
I was flagged down by an officer standing next to two CHP cruisers.
I expect some kind of s*** about closed to cyclists, find another route etc.
Instead he said wait here, we're gonna escort you through.
They waited for a clot of traffic to pass then blocked the road and waved me on.
Very cool.

They just thought you were Inspector Callahan.

be careful going down the hill westbound/northbound before the lane closure (near Malibu Seafood). The traffic can back up onto the hill and cars are barreling down the hill and then skidding to a stop to avoid the stopped traffic--it's dangerous. Cars are of course deciding to use the shoulder to gain some time on the other cars. Once at the single lane, I'd suggest making eye contact with a driver and then moving right into the middle of the lane and look back a few times so they know you know they are there and they can wait behind you. It's a slight rise toward Latigo so even going hard it's an effort to go 25mph.