When the System Cracks, Malibu Pays the Price

GUEST WORDS - This past weekend offered a troubling glimpse into our future, and summer hasn’t even started.

Traffic near Zuma Beach was backed up and chaotic. The City received more than a dozen emails from concerned residents about congestion stretching all the way to Heather cliff, all because the Zuma underpass remains closed. A crash at Kanan and PCH exacerbated the situation. With limited access and key infrastructure offline, Malibu was already at its breaking point. If this is what May looks like, what happens when the full summer crush hits, with Pacific Coast Highway wide open?

Let’s be clear: PCH is not just a scenic drive. It’s Malibu’s spine, our only real artery. It carries families, commuters, cyclists, emergency responders, and millions of visitors. But it’s also a corridor of risk. One with blind turns, narrow shoulders, unpredictable conditions, and far too many tragic headlines. We’ve seen fatal collisions, reckless speeding, and terrifying moments during emergency evacuations. Yet for all of that, there is no coordinated public safety plan in place for when everything goes wrong.

To my knowledge, Caltrans has not presented a strategy. No agency has outlined how we’re supposed to evacuate when Las Virgenes, Kanan, and PCH are all gridlocked. That’s not just a bureaucratic oversight; it’s a public safety failure.

This isn’t about keeping people out. Malibu has always welcomed visitors to its beaches, trails, restaurants, and local businesses. But hospitality must come with responsibility. Responsibility from those who visit, and from the agencies and systems meant to manage how they arrive and how they leave. If we don’t demand better planning and support now, we are risking lives.

The situation isn’t just unsafe, it’s unsustainable. Our city is facing real economic losses. Mom-and-pop businesses are closing, and families who have built their livelihoods here are barely hanging on. Yes, we need tourism. But we can’t recover by turning a blind eye to the risks or by pretending the status quo is working. It’s not. We need a smart, coordinated, safe recovery. And I’m not too proud to say it, Malibu can’t do this alone. We need help. From the state. From the county. From Caltrans. From all who benefit from this coastal corridor.

We’re already seeing the system crack under pressure. Even areas we once considered secure aren’t immune. Just last week, speed humps had to be installed on PCH at the National Guard checkpoint after drivers began racing through at 70 miles per hour. The Guard, armed and in uniform, feared for their safety. Think about that: if this level of law enforcement presence can’t deter reckless speeding, what hope do we have in the rest of Malibu?

This is not theoretical. This is Malibu’s reality. The risk is real, the danger is present, and the time for action is now.

We owe it to our residents, to the millions who visit, and most of all, to the families who have already lost loved ones to the failures of this system. Without action, we are simply waiting for the next tragedy and allowing history to repeat itself.

It’s time to fix what’s broken before it breaks us. 

Here’s what I think we need:

A Summer Safety Plan — Coordination between Caltrans, LA County, and the City on signal timing, emergency access, clear no-parking zones, evacuation plans and strong weekend enforcement.

A Real Evacuation Strategy — Clear communication of public protocols for when all three routes are blocked.

Immediate Fixes at Bottlenecks —Reopen Zuma’s underpass, repair and sign emergency bypass routes.

Live Traffic Communication — Digital signage, alerts, and GPS integration to inform drivers in real time.

Leadership from the County — Malibu can’t manage regional tourism alone. We need their help to reopen the Zuma underpass to take the pressure off of PCH. This is owned by beaches and harbors, and it has been impassable for years causing bottlenecks. 

I am not asking for perfection — I am asking for a plan. And I am asking before it’s too late.

(Haylynn Conrad is the newly elected City Council member for Malibu. [email protected])