Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission recommends traffic calming
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission left out a $250,000 to $450,000 sidewalk project but added road markings and reflectors.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — second street traffic calming plan goes, staff update — mb wave rider, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
Staff told the Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission that the existing 25 mph limit could stay, but a lower limit would not be enforceable.
A serious crash put a residential street under closer scrutiny. The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission recommended traffic-calming measures for the stretch studied after an August 17, 2025 crash involving a speeding driver and a parked car. The recommendation leaves out a sidewalk and bulb-out project, but adds refreshed centerline striping and replacement reflectors. It now goes to City Council.
Staff told the commission that the street carries about 2,500 to 2,700 cars per day. Speed surveys put the prevailing speed at 28 mph in 2022 and 30 mph in July 2026, above the posted 25 mph limit. Staff said narrow sidewalks, parking activity and school-related pedestrian traffic can justify keeping that limit, even though lowering it further would not be enforceable under the standards described at the meeting. The street is also part of the bicycle transportation network.
The commission discussed stop-sign violations and risks to people walking and biking. Staff presented possible crosswalks, flashing stop signs, speed-awareness signs and stronger enforcement, along with the more costly sidewalk work. The commission’s recommendation starts with a narrower set of changes rather than the sidewalk project. Staff described the city’s traffic-calming approach as one that calls for another evaluation after measures are installed, so their effect can guide any further work.
Staff Update — MB Wave Rider Microtransit Program (Operations, Ridership, Funding, and Upcoming City Council Update)
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission heard that MB Wave Rider has been operating for almost three months. Staff reported about 1,000 riders during a recent tournament weekend. The microtransit program costs $500,000 for six months, and a Prop A Dial-A-Ride surplus is largely covering that cost for now.
Staff said five vehicles generally run from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day, with slightly different weekend hours. Friday and Saturday evenings have reached 80–90% occupancy, and demand sometimes exceeds available rides. Early weekday service has more capacity. Staff said reducing vehicles, hours or operating days could lower costs, but noted that Dial-A-Ride provides scheduled service for mobility-impaired riders that microtransit does not replace.
Staff told the commission the program will return to City Council on September 15 with ridership, customer satisfaction, cost and service options. The surplus is one-time funding, so staff is looking at sponsorships, advertising and other sources. If service continues beyond its initial term ending in November, the operator needs at least two months’ notice to retain staff; it would need that notice to wind down service, too.
Parking commission opens comment period without speakers
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission opened its initial public comment period for matters outside the agenda, but no one spoke in person or through Zoom. The chair explained how to request a microphone and said speakers would have three minutes each.
Residents had an opportunity to raise off-agenda parking or public-improvement concerns, but none were recorded.
Parking commission backs paid parking code changes
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission voted 5-0 to recommend code changes for pay stations, mobile payments, parking zones and license-plate-reader enforcement. Staff said existing time limits would remain, while drivers moving to a different zone would need a new payment session. City Council will consider the changes.
Drivers could pay by zone rather than at individual meters, changing how parking time carries between spaces.
Parking commission hears reflector and speed-sign updates
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission heard that Caltrans has not installed the requested reflectors at a northbound intersection. Staff said it would press for an earlier safety fix while broader roadwork proceeds. The city has purchased two speed feedback signs and is seeking Caltrans permits to install them.
The reflectors still lack an installation date, while the speed signs cannot go up without state permits.
Parking commission previews downtown and signal work
The Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission heard staff preview Project Pulse options for two downtown properties, a review of sidewalk A-frames and benches, and possible lane and signal changes at an intersection. Staff said the commission may be asked to weigh in on solar panels for a police and fire building.
The planned reviews could affect downtown sidewalk space, intersection traffic and a public building’s power supply.
- Manhattan Beach Parking and Public Improvements Commission. Residents and other community members provided extensive comment on Second Street safety. Several opposed flashing stop signs and additional signage due to light/sign pollution and impacts on corner homes, and urged enforcement and speed humps/bumps instead. Others described frequent speeding and stop-sign violations, pedestrian and bicyclist risks (including e-bikes), and requested stronger measures, turn restrictions, and diversion of cut-through traffic to major boulevards.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
MANHATTAN BEACH had 3 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCEOther Business: Next Meeting Date Change. Commissioners clarified the August meeting schedule, indicating the August 20 meeting would be rescheduled and that an August 27 meeting would be held instead.
- GOVERNANCEPublic Comment (Non-Agenda Items). The Vice Chair opened public comment for items within PPIC jurisdiction that were not on the agenda and explained procedures for in-person and Zoom speakers. No public comments were provided during this opening period.
- The week’s most important MANHATTAN BEACH decisions
- Plain-English explanations, every Sunday
- Delivered to your inbox — one email a week
No charge, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
- Everything Aware covers in MANHATTAN BEACH — the full record, not just the highlights
- Plus full coverage of 3,000+ cities, not just yours
- Source documents, Ask Aware & Aware Explain
- Follow up to 5 towns · email meeting alerts
Snapshot is the starting plan — larger plans (Insight, Intelligence) add more towns, countries & usage. Sundays is the free weekly read; Aware is the platform that powers it.
Got a neighbor in MANHATTAN BEACH who should read this?
Forwarding this Sundays edition is how Sundays grows. No paid ads — just neighbors telling neighbors.
FORWARD TO A NEIGHBOR →See an error? Email us.
Sundays is generated by the Aware platform (www.awarenow.ai) and verified against the official meeting record. If something looks wrong, please tell us — we respond within 24 hours and publish corrections directly on this page. corrections@awarenow.ai
Common questions
- What is Sundays?
- Sundays is a weekly civic newsletter for MANHATTAN BEACH, CA. Each Sunday morning we summarize what the town council, school board, planning board, and other public bodies did that week — in plain English, with links to the official meeting record.
- How are these summaries generated?
- Sundays is produced by Aware (awarenow.ai), which creates short summaries from publicly recorded meetings. Summaries are generated by AI technology and can make mistakes and do not represent official public record or positions portrayed in the videos. Official recordings are available on the town's video library. Each town maintains video libraries in different ways. Summaries are subject to our terms of service. See below on how to report corrections for these summaries.
- Where can I read past Sundays editions for MANHATTAN BEACH?
- Every edition for MANHATTAN BEACH is archived on the MANHATTAN BEACH town hub. State-level archives live at sundays.news/ca.
- How do I subscribe?
- Sundays is free. Subscribe at the bottom of any edition or on the MANHATTAN BEACH town hub — one short email every Sunday morning.
- Found an error?
- Email corrections@awarenow.ai. We respond within 24 hours and publish corrections on this page.