Safe & Healthy Streets

The Glendale History Walk is coming Saturday, July 11, 2009! Take a step back in time and explore historic areas in downtown Glendale. Sponsored by the Glendale Historical Society, the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, and the City of Glendale Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department, the stroll is two-and-a-half-miles long and each location will have a knowledgeable guide to ensure you get the most out of this memorable experience.

Meet us on Saturday at 9:30 am at Chess Park, 227 N. Brand Blvd. History Walk participants can park for free in the Orange Street Parking Structure. The entrance to the structure is on Orange Street between Wilson and California. Bring your ticket to the History Walk for validation. If you decide to ride your bike to Chess Park, there are numerous bike racks along Brand Blvd. nearby. There are also bike racks in the Orange Street parking structure just inside the entrance. Transit users can ride to the start on the Glendale Beeline Bus or Metro Bus.

This is the History Walk flyer. Right click to copy and save.

The Glendale History Walk is a healthy way to learn more about your community. A recent study conducted in eleven countries by James Sallis, Ph.D., a professor at San Diego State University, found that people who have access to sidewalks have a much higher chance of getting enough exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. An article about the study published by Gant Daily states that “people living in city neighborhoods often walk to stores or transportation stops, have access to low-cost recreation opportunities or ride bicycles to nearby destinations, making them twice as likely to get enough exercise than people who don’t have access to such things.” For more information about the study, click here.

Many cities have been promoting the health benefits of walking by encouraging citizens to “get out and get moving,” an example being Santa Monica. The city has a program called WALK Santa Monica, which encourages people to walk at least 10,000 steps a day, the minimum recommended for an average adult to stay healthy. The city is hoping the program will also reduce traffic and air pollution.

Santa Monica launched the program with a splash. In the first year of WALK Santa Monica, pedestrians were asked to submit their favorite walks around the city. The winners of the contest were profiled on CityTV showing off their favorite routes. The City of Santa Monica also published a series of walking maps to guide residents and visitors. The Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department in Glendale is interested in launching a similar set of maps for the Jewel City.

With Glendale’s colorful history and its renewed commitment to walking and cycling, imagine what our city could do to “get out and get moving.”

Important events/dates to remember

LA River Bike Path Extension Groundbreaking

Monday June 29, 11:30 am

Location is at the cul-de-sac at the end of Oros Street, north of Blake

Map

The LA County Bicycle Coalition has been waiting for years for this day!

This section will extend the LA River bike path another 2.5 miles southeast of Fletcher

PLACE Grant Update Report for Glendale City Council

Tuesday July 14, 2009, 6:00 pm

City of Glendale Council Chambers

Coalition for a Green Glendale Community Garden Grand opening

Saturday July 18, 2009

Details here: www.green-glendale.org

The Outreach Meeting on June 10, 2009 for the proposed Physical Project on Riverdale Drive and Maple Street went very well. Twenty people attended including residents on Riverdale and Maple, residents of Glendale in general, as well as interested individuals from the Police Department, the Transportation and Parking Commission, the L.A. County Department of Public Health, and those who ride in Glendale regularly.

Most people expressed a concern for bicycle or pedestrian safety in Glendale as a reason for attending the meeting. During the course of the meeting, residents asked questions about the details of the Physical Project which were answered by Glendale Civil Engineer Kevin Carter or PLACE Grant Coordinator Colin Bogart. All those who posed questions or expressed concerns seemed to be satisfied with the answers given as well as the details of the Physical Project. The Glendale News-Press also printed an article about the meeting. We’d like to thank Kate Harvey and Yuju Yeo of Osborn Architects who supplied the photo renderings of the proposed Physical Project.

Here is the agenda for the meeting and notes taken during the meeting.

AGENDA
Riverdale/Maple Pedestrian/Bicycle Enhancements Project

June 10, 2009 – 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m

1. Welcome and Introductions 7:00 – 7:05

2. Brief Overview of the Proposed Project 7:05 – 7:15

3. What It’s Like on My Street 7:15 – 7:35

4. Project Plan Review 7:35 – 7:50

5. Questions and Comments 7:50 – 8:20

6. Wrap Up and Next Steps 8:20 – 8:30

Marc Stirdivant
Senior Administrative Analyst
Glendale Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department

Kevin Carter,
Civil Engineer II
Glendale Public Works Department

Colin Bogart
PLACE Grant Coordinator
Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

Mike Nilsson
Mobility Planner
Glendale Planning Department

For further information, please contact:
Kevin Carter at kcarter@ci.glendale.ca.us or (818) 548-3945 ext. 8356
Colin Bogart at colin@la-bike.org or (818) 334-9731

NOTES:

What’s it like on my street (Riverdale/Maple corridor)?

Maple/Glendale intersection – tough one.
Lots of traffic on Maple, including emergency vehicles, high volumes
Dangerous to ride, tight conditions (Glendale & Gardena)
Funding availability? Intersection improvements possible through stimulus money & prop 1B funds
Could live with curb ramps/street trees as they exist vs. bike improvements (priority). Would prefer bike improvements.
Eventually all curb ramps to be updated for ADA compliance. Street trees may be made available for free.
Bike push buttons inconvenient
Automatic ped/bike sensors a good idea.
Bicycle loop sensors needed.
Signal at Rock Glen & Verdugo? No. Signal is at Maple and Verdugo.
Signal at Lincoln and Colorado? No. Currently there is a flashing ped crosswalk.
Are we losing any parking spaces as a result of curb extensions? No. There will be no impacts to parking.
Is Leading pedestrian interval being considered for the corridor? Possibly. Will depend upon federal guidelines.
What about projects crossing the corridor north/south? How did the signal at Central & Maple get approved? Through applications approved for stimulus funding.

Questions/Comments on Riverdale-Maple Corridor

How long will paint for Sharrows last? Thermoplastic option – long time. Paint option – 4 years
Zebra stripe crosswalk – high visibility, bars can be positioned so vehicle wheels run in between, last longer.
Parkway Landscaping – property owner must maintain, trees are maintained by the city.
Can we do a bike ride of the corridor as a group? Yes. Good idea. Maybe we can do a walk too.
Can you plant drought tolerant plants on the roundabouts? Yes. The Parks Department will consider plant types very carefully.
Are there other methods to curb aggressive drivers?
Sign options: Share the Road sign (may be phased out. “May use full lane” sign being studied).
Will you be able to achieve the 11 foot placement of sharrows on such narrow streets? Yes. Sharrows can be placed on the corridor and are effective on narrow streets. The vehicles and bikes share the lane. The symbol reinforces the vehicle code.
Tree improvements? Goal is roughly 1 tree per house. Some may get 2 trees.
Will you place benches along the corridor? May put at bus stops and parks along the route. Can look at other possible locations.
What about connections to the LA River Trail? Columbus is designated to be a north/south bike route on the existing Bicycle Master Plan. There is potential for a bike/ped bridge to connect Riverwalk to the LA River bike path and Griffith Park. Might connect near 134 freeway off Doran. Actual bridge location is not yet determined, but is part of phase III of Riverwalk project.
Will bike racks be installed along the route? Yes, at parks and other points of interest along route or adjacent to it.

Next steps

Stimulus projects
Will go to Council for approval of construction.
Stimulus projects will be completed on an individual basis. Multiple projects cross the Riverdale-Maple corridor.
Goal is to do all the intersection improvements at once for each individual intersection location.

PLACE Grant: Safe & Healthy Streets
PLACE Grant to update Council on project soon (early July is likely).
Outreach Meetings for Policy Recommendations slated for July & August 2009. No exact dates or locations at this time.
History Walk tentatively scheduled for July 11, 2009
Need to plan a ride of the Riverdale – Maple corridor. Date and time TBA.
Speakers/documentary screenings planned for Fall of 2009

Thanks to everyone who attended the first Community Stakeholder Meeting for the Safe & Healthy Streets Plan on May 28 at the Central Library. We had about 30 people attend. Some faces were familiar and some faces were new. It was great meeting and seeing all of you. Thanks to Scott Lowe, Nathalie Winiarski and Maureen Hearn for their help that night. Thanks also to El Morfi Grill for donating delicious empanadas and salad for everyone to enjoy. If you haven’t been to El Morfi yet, go! Say hi to the owner, Renee. Thanks also to Cindy Cleary and the Central Library for letting us meet there.

Here’s a few highlights from the meeting.

Proposed Physical Project meeting
Wednesday June 10, 2009 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Pacific Park – Sycamore Room
501 S. Pacific Ave.
Glendale, CA 91204
Phone: (818) 548-4098
Map
Mark your calendars. There will be a community input meeting for our Proposed Physical Project which designates Riverdale and Maple as a bicyclist and pedestrian corridor that will be anchored by Pacific Park in the west, Carr Park in the east, and Maple Park in the middle. At this time we are proposing a series of bicyclist and pedestrian improvements, many of which can be implemented as part of existing projects funded with stimulus money. Come to the meeting for more details and tell us what you think.

We’re planning a Glendale History Walk for early July. This is the pedestrian relative to the History Ride. It’s probably going to be on July 11. More details coming soon.

We’re also planning to set up a forum page to encourage more discussion and to enable you to share bicycle and pedestrian info, concerns, etc. with your fellow Glendalians. Look for that coming soon.

We’re still looking for suggestions for bike rack locations. Submit yours to colin@la-bike.org

This just in!
The Glendale News-Press just published a profile of Colin Bogart, PLACE Grant Coordinator. We hope this leads to even more good things for bicyclists and pedestrians in Glendale.

The Los Angeles River Ride is this weekend, Sunday June 7, 2009. This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. You can register the day of the ride. More details at www.la-bike.org

If you have other ideas or suggestions, please let us know! Thanks.