Transcription
All right. Good evening, everybody. Hopefully, everyone can hear me. I'm assuming yes. If you can hear me, you just see my mouth talking, just raise your hand. All right. Well, welcome, everybody, this evening to our virtual public meeting about the public, the Malibu Speed Safety Program. With me here today are representatives from Kimley Horn, who is the uh, the company that we hired to assist us with putting together a youth policy and impact report. We have Shri Chakravari, Matt Stewart, and Ramsey Goyle with us here tonight.
Next slide, which I already did. All right. So, we're going to start with just going with a speed safety program overview. Then talk about the system location and the methodology for the, you know, how we identified those locations, and then review the use policy, what it contains, and what it's for, and then citations and revenues and how that will all work. And then go over the impact report, and then we'll talk about next steps, and at the end, we'll allow for questions and comments.
Next slide. So, during the meeting, um, we are recording it and we'll be posting it to the city website for future viewing. So, please be respectful and refrain from use of any profanity, and please use the Q&A feature located at the bottom of your Zoom screen to type in your comments or questions, which we will address at the end of the presentation.
All right. So, now I'm going to hand it over to Matt.
Thanks, Susan. So, hi everyone. My name is Matt Stewart. I'm an engineer here at Kimley Horn. Um, and I'll be sharing a bit of information about the speed safety program, um, and the locations selected for the city of Malibu and give you all an idea of what to expect.
So, to start with a little background, um, the speed safety program was approved for six cities initially by the governor through Assembly Bill 645 in 2023. And then the city of Malibu, uh, there was a separate Senate bill 1297 signed in 2024 that authorized the city of Malibu to implement a speed safety pilot program, and it'll be a five-year program um or until 2032.
So, an overview of the program. Um, so the speed safety program is intended to uh reduce speeding on on PCH um and and specifically to reduce uh speed-related crashes. Um, and so the system will work uh with a camera that's mounted on a pole um and which which has which takes photographs of uh the vehicle's license plate when it's detected to be um exceeding the speed limit. Um, additionally, there's some more technology included. Um, a speed feedback sign will be placed in advance of the speed camera um to warn road users that there's a speed camera up ahead and remind them of the speed limit. And the goal for the project is to prioritize the safety of residents, visitors, motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists along Pacific Coast Highway by reducing the frequency of speeding and speed-related collisions and injuries.
So, we wanted to share a little bit of background about how speed, um, automated speed enforcement is used around the United States. Um, and it's uh been in use in over 137 jurisdictions um in 14 states plus the District of Columbia um according to um recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Um, and in many of many of these cities, the programs are intended to achieve the same goals that the city of Malibu has, um, reducing speeding and fatalities and injuries caused by speeding.
So, we uh reviewed data for a few case study uh cities um including New York City and Chicago. Um, and according to recent reports in each of those two cities, um the automated speed cameras reduced speeding by 94% in uh New York and reduced injuries um where the program was implemented by 14%. Um, and then in Chicago from uh their report from 2024 um they found that severe injury crashes decreased by 15% in areas where speed enforcement uh cameras were implemented.
And on the next slide, we are presenting the proposed locations for uh the speed cameras in the city. Um, so this is a map of the the full uh city limits um from Topanga Canyon in the east on the right side of the screen um all the way past Decker to near Mulholland Highway on the west. And there's five locations that um were approved uh for use by the city uh by that state bill. Um, and so the five locations shown on the screen were selected based on their history of uh fatal and severe crashes, um numerous instances of excessive speeding, um and geometric constraints. And so the the five locations are in Decker Canyon, Morning View Drive, Las Lomas Canyon, Carbon Beach Terrace, and Tuna Canyon Road. And I think one note I'll I'll mention is uh that the eastbound and westbound cameras will be placed near each other in most of these cases. And in advance, there will be a radar speed feedback sign um informing drivers of their speed and warning them that the automated speed camera is up ahead.
And next, I'll hand it to my colleague Ramsey to uh discuss the use policy.
Thank you, Matt. The use policy discusses how the data for this project is collected, stored, and used. It's important to note that all data collected by the speed safety system is protected and confidential. The system collects just a single photograph of the license plate and the rear, front, and rear for the speeding of the rear and the speeding vehicle. The safety system will not collect other identifying information on other drivers, vehicles, or pedestrians. And this data is stored with a 60-day retention period and will not be shared with other persons or agencies except as required by state or federal law, court order, or a subpoena.
Moving on to the next slide, the use policy will also talk about fines and how revenue will be used. In terms of fines, a vehicle's first violation for traveling 11 to 15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit would be a warning notice during that 60-day period directly following program implementation. And after the first 60 days have elapsed, the fines have a sliding scale based on the vehicle speed with a fine of $50 for driving 11 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit up to a maximum fine of $500 for driving 100 miles or more per hour.
In terms of the revenues, the revenues are first used to recover program costs, which includes the cost such as the cameras, maintenance, and speed feedback signs. And then we'll go into traffic calming measures and possibly the California Active Transportation Program to allow this speed safety camera program to potentially deliver even wider benefits beyond just speed reduction and safety.
Over to you, Matt.
Thanks, Ramsey. So, the the use policy is one of the two documents required by the state bill um to uh discuss the the goals and objectives of the project. And we're working with the city now to um fine-tune the draft version. Um, and it it's in progress and will be uh finalized um in the coming months.
And then the second document that's required by by the state bill is the impact report. And this uh this report discusses the civil impacts of the safety system that it may have on communities and individuals. And the report ensures that the system is fair, equitable, and respectful of individual rights while achieving the intended traffic safety objectives.
And then we wanted to highlight the the diversion program included, um, which for eligible speed safety system violators um who meet uh specified income thresholds will have the ability to do one of two things: one, complete community service in lieu of paying the fines and penalties, or two, pay the applicable penalties over a period of time with monthly installments of no more than $25 per month.
So, to highlight some next steps on this project, um, we've we've completed the the analysis and the develop the initial development of the two documents I mentioned. Um, we're now entering the public input phase, which is includes this meeting tonight and then a second in-person public meeting next uh next Wednesday at City Hall. Um, and then beyond that, the uh use policy and impact report will be submitted for public review. And then finally, after the construction documents for uh the project are finalized, um the system will be implemented uh later this year.
So, with that, we uh we'd welcome your questions and comments. Thank you.
Not seeing questions. You can type them in the chat. Let's see. Susan, I just saw someone um typing in a question. So, okay. I think it's not in yet, but someone's typing it. Okay. Maybe I can just unmute them. Make it easier. I do see a raised hand. Merryill. Okay, Mel, I've asked you to unmute. Can you Did you unmute me? Yes. When are the cameras expected to go up? Okay. We have originally projected that they would be up by November. However, due to the Palisades fire, that timeline, we're not we we're not confident that it will happen by then. We're hoping. We're still going to try to stick to that timeline, but as you know, there's a lot of things going on in PCH. Um, it could be that some of them are in place, but maybe not all of them, especially in the areas that have, you know, where the fire recovery is occurring. But that's what I've been told at this point. But but it might be possible to get the Morning View and Las Lomas and Decker. I I hope so. I mean, I anticipate that, you know, the ones that are in the burn area, there could be, you know, some complexities there. Um, yeah, but there's only there's only two there, I think. So, yeah, that's not as big of a factor. And there's the traffic can't go that fast there anyway. So, glad to go Morning View and Decker. Yeah, there's also a staff capacity issue. Um, when I inquired our Public Works Department about this, they were not as confident as they used to be. I mean, they're going to try. They'll probably know more in a couple months. Yeah. How was Can you still hear me? Yes. How was the fiber uh that was installed last year for the signal integration from Topanga to John Tyler, was that at all affected during the fire or is that fiber still intact so that the signals integration project is on time? Yeah, that I I can't answer that question. That would be a question for our Public Works Director. Um, possibly I can uh contact him and maybe have a question at the in-person meeting to find that out. Susan, I think um part part of it as far as I'm aware, I think that um equipment is still intact. There's been some damage, but for the most part, they they uh since it was underground, the fiber is underground. I think most of that has been uh is is safe and is uh is usable. So hopefully that answers your question. Okay. All right. Thank you. Well, any any chance we get the other three up with signage that you know alerting people might even if they're not actually operating might help curtail speeding. Yeah, I agree.
All right, let me go. I see some uh questions here in the chat. Uh Ryan says, "Matt, can you clarify what determined the boundaries showing Decker Canyon at west and Tuna at east? Are these boundaries etched in stone or can public advocacy influence placement?" Yeah, I'll I'll pull that slide back up. Um, the boundaries, the black line is is just the city limits and the state bill does restrict the new cameras to be within the city of Malibu. So, um, I Decker is pretty much the furthest west where um we would recommend a camera be placed based on the data of of speeding and and crashes. So, the the city would um appreciate input on on locations where residents um would recommend locations, but these these locations are pretty much um set in stone based on the the thorough analysis of crashes and speeding.
All right, we have another question here. Are there any plans to address parking along the road and improve cyclist safety? That I think is still in development with the PCH Master Plan. I don't have any specific information on that. Um, so I can't really answer that question. Susan, there was a there was an earlier question about the fines. Okay. Oh, there it is. Yeah. All right. Uh, those fines are inconceivably low, especially for how dangerous speeding is. Can I ask why they are so much lower from the camera than they would be from an officer? 100 miles per hour over the speed limit is only $500. And to clarify this um this chart, 100 miles an hour does not mean over the speed limit. That just refers to any speed of 100 or more. Um, and these these fines are set by the state bill, and they're the same as the fines that were permitted for the six original cities as well. So, for this pilot program through 2032, the city has no control over what these fines would be. I I just want to add, I think these are a lot of that speeding may or may not be um uh captured right now because I mean there's you know there's a lot of speeding out there on PCH um a lot of it may not be captured right now because an officer has to be out there um looking at how fast they're going, but with the speed cameras, any speeding that occurs at this rate will be captured and cited. So I think that's the so there is more capture of any speeding than what we would normally see with regular enforcement. So that's the um that's the benefit of having a speed camera here um than the regular enforcement.
You all right? Any more questions? Can you still hear me? Yes. What what about lowering it from 11 to 15 to like 6 to 15 so that we don't tell people it's fine to speed at least 10 miles an hour over the speed limit? That's a great question. I think it's um the the these are I mean the the what you see on the screen, Mel, is not something that was that the city has established or said. It's coming from the from the state law. So I think um that's definitely something maybe that can be brought up, but I think as part of the system implementation um the city has to follow what's been approved. So I think that's how this was determined. But good point. All right. Well, you you understand my point because if it's if it's $50 and in 50 some places 50 is too much now. Now we're telling them it's okay to go 60 without, you know, falling prey to this. I I understand what you're saying though. Thank you. Yep. Yep. More [Music] questions.
And I will add, just to kind of explain the process, you'll you'll receive a citation in the mail, and that will go to the company that's managing the cameras. They review the the photo to make sure that it's clear and it looks valid. And then for the second sort of uh review, it has to go to a city employee to review one more time to make sure it's valid and should receive a ticket. And then once the city, the person at the city says yes, it's a go, then the ticket is sent. And it's an administrative line. I I couldn't see from the description. Is it going to capture the rear license plate also somehow? Just the rear. Oh, good. I see. Are aerial speed monitors a part of the plan? Not part of this plan. This is just for these fixed cameras only at this time. And you have to remember, speed cameras were not even legal in California until the first bill that was adopted a couple years ago. And this is all still in a pilot phase even for the first six cities. So, you know, an aerial speed monitor would be, I guess, the next step up, but right now, this is what we have.
Questions, and there will be opportunity to appeal anything. We will have a hearing officer dedicated for appeals. If someone wants to um appeal a citation they receive. Any other questions?
So, I'll add that, you know, we anticipate that the 30-day review period will be occurring through May, and we are scheduled to take this to the City Council for adoption at the second meeting in June. Once it's adopted, then we can pursue the actual purchase of equipment. The legislation specifies that this our use policy and impact report must be adopted before we can purchase equipment.
Give it a couple more minutes if anybody else has a question. And I, you know, if if you don't think of a question right now, but you have a question later, you're more than welcome to send it to me directly. My email is s d u e n a susan.dues@malibu.org, and we'll have an in-person meeting next Wednesday, as Matt mentioned earlier.
Yeah, thank you, Matt. I think there's a project website also um here that I think this recording will be available, but in case people want to make a note of that project website. I'll type my email in the chat in case anybody had trouble understanding my email on the and I failed to properly introduce myself in the beginning. I'm the Public Safety Director. I oversee the city's Public Safety Department here, and we're the ones we're overseeing the programmatic side of this program while Public Works is overseeing the infrastructure side.
Well, I'm not seeing any other questions. Speak now. I I I appreciate everybody tuning in though to, you know, ask your questions. It's better to ask now than to rather than when it's all done. Um, so again, thank you very much for tuning in. Email me with any additional questions or attend the in-person meeting next Wednesday. And with that, thank you all very much. And I'm gonna bring the meeting to a close. Thank you.
All right. Thank you. Bye. Bye. Bye.