Gretchen Hoffman
NORTHWEST GLENDALE -- A disastrous street race combined with a recent
increase in the speed limit have Glendale Police out in increased numbers
on Glenoaks Boulevard.
In what police have described as a near-fatal accident, a Hoover High
student, 17, lost control of his car during a street race on Jan. 29 and
wrapped the vehicle around a palm tree. No one has been charged in the
incident, but the seriousness of the accident was a catalyst for
increased enforcement on Glenoaks Boulevard, police said.
Adding to the need for the task force, which is targeting speeders on
Glenoaks between Pacific and Alameda avenues, was the increase in the
speed limit, from 35 to 40 mph, Sgt. Lewie Guay said. The new limit was
set about two-and-a-half weeks ago following a radar survey of traffic
conditions on the road.
Since Glendale Police began targeting speeders two weeks ago, officers
have written about 200 tickets, Guay said. Officers wrote 55 tickets --
30 for speeding -- on Saturday, and 129 -- 54 for speeding -- on Feb. 8
and 9.
Officers made a couple of arrests for speed contests, and the highest
speed clocked was 83 mph, Guay added.
"When you're going those kinds of speeds, you're not going to be able
to react in time," Guay said.
Pedestrians crossing the street from the center median add to the
hazards drivers face, he said. "We've had a problem with overall speed in
general," Guay said. "The biggest thing we're trying to do is get people
to slow down."
"Ideally the target is speeding or speed contests or exhibitions of
speed, but we can find everything else," he added. "Just about everything
that's in the vehicle code as a violation, we're looking for."
That includes stopping for school buses when the lights are flashing
-- a frequent violation along the busy street, Guay said.
"If people are using some of these major roadways to travel through
the city of Glendale, we will be very aggressive in our speed enforcement
and our radar use -- they need to know that," he said.
