GUSD Parents Praises City of Glendale Staff for Work on Street Safety
GUSD Parents commends Glendale City Council staff, specifically the Planning Department and the City Manager, for their tireless work on the 2024 Bike Master Plan. This project will lead to reduced traffic speeds as well as pedestrian and bike friendly infrastructure that will improve street safety, improve air quality, and increase the well-being of thousands of Glendalians, including our children.
According to SWITRS, the statewide database of traffic records, 686 pedestrians and cyclists have been hit by cars in Glendale since 2018, with the vast majority of crashes occurring in south Glendale.
103 of the victims were children.
Many residents of Glendale - including impacted families whose children attend GUSD schools in some of the most dangerous pedestrian zones in the city - have taken the time to publicly announce their support of this project at recent City Council meetings. We are grateful to City staff for hosting multiple open community meetings where residents could weigh in on the planning and make clear our concerns around safety and the need to reduce emissions and improve air quality. July 2024 was the hottest summer on record in Glendale. The time for action is now: Glendale residents - especially our children - deserve clean air and safe streets.
We are appalled to see Councilmembers Ara Najarian and Vartan Gharpetian politicizing this common-sense plan to improve the quality of life in Glendale. GUSD Parents will remind voters of Najarian and Gharpetian’s bad faith opposition when should they decide to run for office again when their terms are up (in 2026 and 2028, respectively). GUSD Parents will continue to do community outreach to provide accurate data to families across Glendale about why this plan must be approved later this year.
GUSD Parents praises the hard work of City Planning, Public Works, and City Clerk offices for their thorough gathering of data, including community input, to bring the draft 2024 Master Bicycle Plan to City Council. These city employees have conducted themselves with grace, calm, and poise in the face of a handful of disruptive extremists spreading misinformation. GUSD Parents for Public Schools delivered treats and thank you notes of support ahead of the August 20th City Council meeting to express our gratitude for City staff.
We look forward to the draft plan becoming a reality for Glendale when put to a vote later this year.