Council backs sweeping safety plan for Sepulva Boulevard, seeks state 'priority corridor' status

The Manhattan Beach City Council voted to accept a joint Caltrans‑city safety study for Sepulva Boulevard and directed staff to pursue a 'priority safety corridor' designation from state lawmakers so the city can tap additional enforcement tools and grant funding.

Traffic engineer Eric Lee told the council the analysis followed a "safe systems" approach — combining policy, education, enforcement and engineering countermeasures — after the city recorded multiple fatal and severe injury collisions along the two‑mile arterial. The study recommends a mix of near‑term and longer‑term steps: expanded targeted enforcement and DUI checkpoints, added speed‑feedback signs, changeable message boards, high‑visibility crosswalks and pedestrian ramps at side streets, channelizing medians to reduce conflict turns, retimed signals (including 'rest in red' timing at night), improved roadway lighting and pavement resurfacing in coordination with Caltrans work already planned.

The study highlighted that Sepulva's fatal‑collision rate per million vehicle miles has been substantially above the statewide average over recent years; council members repeatedly cited the statistic as a rationale for urgent action.

Policy steps the council directed staff to pursue include: formally requesting state priority‑corridor designation (which can raise fine levels and improve grant competitiveness), studying speed‑camera pilot eligibility under AB 645 and establishing an e‑bike safety advisory group to guide local enforcement and education. Engineering short‑term measures — speed‑feedback signs, channelization at high‑conflict local intersections and high‑visibility striping timed with Caltrans resurfacing — were prioritized as near‑term ‘low hanging fruit.’ Enforcement and education elements will be coordinated with the Police Department's school resources team and community outreach.

Council approved the list of potential measures and directed staff to return with detailed timelines, prioritized low‑cost countermeasures, estimated budgets and legislative requests to local representatives. The motion carried unanimously, 5‑0.

Ending: The council’s vote moves the study from diagnosis to an active implementation phase; staff will return with grant and legislative outreach plans and concrete construction and enforcement timetables.