Agoura Hills plan would close Kanan Road in major fire

The city of Agoura Hills plans to close Kanan Road in any major fire emergency that requires the evacuation of the Santa Monica Mountains.

That’s the city’s draft emergency evacuation plan, which goes up for public comment Thursday night in Agoura Hills.

Residents of the county areas south of Agoura Hills, in the Malibu mountains, are most unhappy with this. They say Agoura Hills has already approved major increases in housing density along Kanan Road and near Agoura Hills High School. These roads are already overburdened and they serve as critical emergency evacuation corridors.

The Agoura Hills traffic study says Kanan Road — one lane in each direction — has more than enough capacity for traffic leaving the mountains area. But the traffic study does not count any vehicles leaving Malibu. It makes the remarkable assumption that people would not leave Malibu if a fire breaks out in the region.

The city of Malibu emergency evacuation plan relies on people heeding early evacuation warnings and using Kanan Road to get to the 101 freeway.

Under the draft Agoura Hills plan, that city plans to have the sheriff’s department close Kanan Road and prevent public entry into evacuated areas. Two of the Agoura Hills evacuation areas are alongside Kanan Road on the Malibu side of the freeway. The road closure would have to be done by the Malibu/Lost Hills sheriffs.

The Agoura Hills Planning Commission will vote on its proposed evacuation plan Thursday night at 6 p.m. at the Agoura Hills city hall, on Agoura Road at Ladyface Court.