Seen in The Malibu Times:
Malibu Green Machine obtained a PCH improvement permit from CalTrans, allowing the nonprofit to beautify Pacific Coast Highway with a median landscape project.
A ceremony will precede the project which is tentatively scheduled to begin February 16th. Funding allows for about a mile and a half of beautification. Construction manager Bill Ropp told agencies involved that the beautification project might be constructed in phases. “One thing we know is that a landscaped highway has a calming effect on traffic, so it has the potential to make it safer, and it will deter people from making illegal U-turns.”
In addition to hoping the project will improve safety along Pacific Coast Highway is the obvious benefit that the drive will be more aesthetically pleasing. The highway medians would also provide fire safety, (an issue of consideration in Malibu), because they will be irrigated.
What’s amazing about this story is how long it took to plan this project. Over two years of work by a non-profit to coordinate with both local government and CalTrans. There is obviously more to merely planting plants in the middle of the road.
The Coast Road 
I don’t have an opinion. I do know that the palms planted along San Francisco’s waterfront, the Embarcadero, were considered a joke by everyone, including Herb Caen, who would chastise their being planted. Today, these palms are nice to have. Seemingly silly, totally out of climate, but nice.
On this vegetation project, half the money was directly raised through the Green Machine, so it’s not a fully-funded by tax project.
One other thought, there’ve been many deaths as a result of humans on PCH. If this statement is true, “One thing we know is that a landscaped highway has a calming effect on traffic,” then perhaps the landscaping may provide safer conditions for pedestrians.
What a waste of taxpayers money what could be more beautiful than the pacific ocean people come from across the world to take that drive.
Now some idiots have decided to divide the road by putting in palm trees or some other plants that are not native to our climate and obscuring the view.
Santa Monica made that mistake on wilshire blvd they decided to put islands in with trees and flowers hence the traffic I so congested it takes 40 minutes to get up to westwood if your lucky also it is the cause of more accidents than ever pch is a highway with one of the best views in the world sticking islands trees and flowers that are not indigenous is a waste of time and money and is just people on the council trying to validity their jobs either lining someones pockets or over legislating.