Glendale Approves La Crescenta Road Improvements
Glendale City Council has approved major traffic lane configuration and bicycle infrastructure improvements to La Crescenta Ave. as part of the La Crescenta Ave. Rehabilitation Project, which passed by a vote of 3-2 on Aug. 27.
Glendale Mayor Elen Asatryan was joined by council members Ardy Kassakhian and Dan Brotman in voting “yes” on the project located on La Crescenta Avenue between North Verdugo Road and Montrose Avenue. The project “aims to enhance the safety, efficiency, and accessibility of multiple transportation infrastructure options in the La Crescenta project corridor,” according to the city analysis.
The La Crescenta Avenue Rehabilitation Project will include the following traffic lane configuration changes and bicycle infrastructure improvements throughout the corridor:
Repurposing one travel lane in each direction between Montrose Avenue and North Verdugo Road
Addition of a center-two way left-turn lane between Montrose Avenue and North Verdugo Road
Curb-running Class IV protected bicycle lane installation on both southbound and northbound La Crescenta Avenue between Sycamore Avenue and North Verdugo Road or buffered Class II bicycle lane that is separated by a striping buffer between the vehicular travel lane and the parking lane
Class II bicycle lane installation on both southbound and northbound La Crescenta Avenue between Montrose Avenue and Sycamore Avenue
During his time to speak about the project, Councilman Brotman cited numerous studies that conclude that turning a four-lane road into a three-lane road (with a center turn lane) is an effective way to reduce collisions, make roads safer, has little impact on travel times and little to no impact on emergency response times.
“The caveat is that you need to pick the right road, and La Crescenta Avenue really is the classic case of a road that is suitable for a ‘road diet,’” Brotman said. “It has low traffic counts, it’s wide, and it has high collision rates.
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Since 2010, there have been 175 collisions in the La Crescenta corridor, and Brotman said that these proposed changes would reduce collisions by an estimated 30% — saving the city an estimated $17 million, according to Glendale City staff.
More than 20 people spoke in favor, many of whom were local students or parents of students who want to see La Crescenta safer and slower.
“There are many people who bike in Glendale,” Brotman said, “but there are many more who would like to bike but don’t feel safe. This is something we owe the community: to make it safe for all modes of transportation.”
The day before the vote, the X (formerly known as Twitter) account @GUSDforAll posted a video pulled from Councilman Gharpetian’s personal YouTube account, in which the councilor is seen exceeding 50 miles per hour in his 1995 Jaguar XJS while driving through residential Glendale. (Gharpetian posted the video in August 2020, and it has been viewed 11 times on YouTube; the version posted to X by concerned Glendale residents has been viewed nearly 11,000 times as of this posting.)
Multiple public commenters asked Gharpetian to recuse himself or step down from the vote, and one public commenter also used her allotted time to play some of the video for the assembled council. Gharpetian did not step aside, ultimately joining Councilor Ara Najarian in voting against the project.
The project is slated to begin construction in November 2024 and last until March 2025.