Why No Portable Generators On PCH At Blank Signals? Why No Cops? Why No Portable Stop Signs?
Written by 991KBU on October 29, 2020
Caltrans … the City and the L A County sheriff also have some questions to answer after the day-long power outage.
When the traffic lights blacked out … why was there no traffic control for 19 hours … at most blacked out Pacific Coast Highway signals??
Three traffic crashes were reported by KBUU listeners within city limits … at blacked out traffic lights.
Caltrans simply forbids the city from putting emergency stop signs out in intersections on state highways..
An official spokesman makes it clear … “only Caltrans staff is allowed to place portable stop signs on State Highway intersections during blackouts.”
Why … asks KBUU?
The Caltrans spokesman says … we will stick to our previous answer.
Only Caltrans staff.
And … law enforcement has to be present … if Caltrans is to put up signs.
But why weren’t the new city-purchased generators brought out for use during the 19 hour blackout???
Caltrans is pointing at the city.
The new agreement on generators specifically allows the generators to be used “during power outages”.
But city manager Reva Feldman put out a statement yesterday.
She says … and we quote … “The City’s emergency generators were purchased with the intent to provide power to traffic signals in the event of a fire and evacuations.
Feldman says the generators “are not intended to provide power to traffic signals for general power outages.”
That certainly was not the expectation from the Public Safety Commission ….
And certainly not what was expected by the general public …. as evidenced by social media posts asking why there were no generators.
Then the next question … why no cops directing traffic??
Although some intersections did get deputies … the ones we observed did not have traffic control ….
Rather … the deputies were down the road … writing tickets for drivers who whizzed thru the blacked out signals.
The Malibu Lost Hills station has been inconsistent in its policies … sometimes honoring the city manager’s request for deputies in intersections … sometimes ignoring them.
Bottom line … no signals … no deputies … no stop signs … and at least three traffic crashes.
