Preserve People and Beauty

State plans to widen Laguna Canyon Road appear dead now that the California Coastal Commission, at the urging of Laguna Beach officials and thousands of city residents, has rejected another Caltrans plan to improve the scenic canyon corridor.

All county residents can rejoice in the preservation of the canyon’s beauty and balance of nature. It is rare that so pristine an area is allowed to remain in its natural state, especially when growth continues to explode around it throughout the county.

But the commission decision that will help retain the canyon’s natural environment doesn’t entirely resolve the issue. What still must be done--immediately--is to make the dangerous state highway much safer than it is. One promising safety measure proposed is a non-traversable median.

Caltrans’ improvement plan was rejected last Wednesday because it included road widening and extensive grading that would have cut into the canyon’s gently rolling hills, eaten up open space and disrupted the natural animal and plant life in the process. That prompted an obviously frustrated Keith E. McKean, Caltrans district director for Orange County, to say the state may ask the Legislature to return responsibility for the road to Laguna Beach or Orange County. Shifting responsibility instead of meeting it is a poor reaction.

In the last 11 years, according to statistics, 36 people have been killed on Laguna Canyon Road--two died last week--and in the last five years 116 accidents injured 188 people in the Big Bend area of the canyon alone. A traffic median could help reduce the injury and death toll. The challenge for Caltrans and local officials now is to finally come up with a plan that will protect motorists and the environment along the beautiful but deadly Laguna Canyon Road.