By Mary O’KEEFE

On Saturday the City of Glendale – Dept. of Public Works held an outreach meeting with residents in the Sycamore Avenue area to discuss the La Crescenta Avenue Rehabilitation Project.

The purpose of the meeting was to gather opinions concerning the project that proposes to remove and replace the asphalt concrete pavement and other improvements including sidewalks, ramps, driveway aprons, curbs and gutters, as well as repairing potholes and cracks in the asphalt. In addition there will be modifications to the traffic signals and fiber optic infrastructure.

Part of the plan includes planting new trees and installing new infrastructure designed to capture and treat storm water. In addition there will be “cool/reflective” pavement to mitigate heat effects and the addition of new striping and pavement markings.

All of these changes were appreciated by those at the meeting, many of whom felt the basic infrastructure improvements were needed. But it was the plan to change the traffic flow that concerned residents.

There were two alternatives presented: Alternative 1 included a “dedicated and protected colored bicycle lane – ‘Bike Lane.’ Alternative 2 would be a class III bike route [with] shared roadway markings – ‘Sharrows.’”

Pastor Casanova, principal traffic engineer for the City of Glendale walked residents through the two alternatives and the options available.

The Bike Lane alternative would reduce driving lanes to “one lane per direction of travel” on La Crescenta Avenue from Montrose Avenue to North Verdugo. In addition there would be a bike lane on each side of La Crescenta Avenue with protective barriers and the addition of a center two-way, left turn lane.

At present in this area La Crescenta Avenue has two lanes traveling each way.

The Sharrows proposal would include “wider travel lanes to accommodate both cyclists and drivers; there would be shared lane markings to alert drivers of bicyclists.”

The basic change would be to the lane closest to the sidewalks, or outside lane, that would be marked as a bike lane that would be “shared” with drivers.

Casanova presented the pros and cons of each alternative. Alternative 1 would allow a left turn lane that would improve safety, reduce drivers’ speed and the number of collisions and encourage bicycling, according to the City.

Alternative 2 would maintain existing traffic lanes, would have a shorter corridor commute time and maintain current drivers’ recognition of bicyclists, according to the City.

The specific concern with Alternative 1 is the traffic that is expected to spill into neighborhood streets. This was not only a concern for the residents but is also on the City’s “con” list.

Sycamore Avenue and surrounding streets are small neighborhood streets; they do not have sidewalks and there are no street lights. Many residents voiced concern that if traffic lanes are reduced on La Crescenta Avenue, a major thoroughfare, the overflow will spill into the smaller streets like Sycamore.

“We have already seen traffic increase,” said one resident.

Navigation and live traffic apps have already started to direct traffic through the neighborhood during heavy traffic hours. The concern is if the number of lanes is reduced more drivers will try to find a way around stop-and-go traffic.

In addition there were concerns about the corner of Sycamore Avenue and Oakendale Place.

“It’s already difficult to see,” a resident said of the location.

Resident Patrick Murphy asked about the purpose of a bike lane that was only a little over a mile in length.

“It doesn’t seem that, in its divine wisdom, the City considered the potential ramifications of the side streets,” said resident David Tralongo.

He added the neighborhood has already seen an increase in traffic due to travel apps and the frequent shut down or heavy traffic on the Foothill (210) Freeway.

“I would like to see [the City] do a traffic study on the side streets,” he added.

The City of Glendale will be moving forward with the project. Residents are asked to share their comments as soon as possible. Comments can be emailed to Project Manager Rustom Tavitian at RTavitian@Glendaleca.gov or by calling (818) 937-8326.

To learn more about the project, visit https://tinyurl.com/2uyfw34m.