Regarding traffic circles and Dave Moreno's article in the June 14
News-Press, I have a comment.
It is fine to see a traffic circle at an intersection where wide
streets meet and there is plenty of room to navigate safely around
the barrier, as in the photo of a San Marino street. On Mountain
Street, however, the intersections are much narrower, and not only
avoiding the obstacles but staying out of the oncoming traffic lane
is nearly impossible.
I understand residents' complaints about speeding. I see it too,
all over Glendale. However, I believe that if a 25 mph speed limit is
fine for school zones, it is fine for neighborhoods, too. I don't see
the need to erect a string of barriers to artificially reduce a
minimum posted speed limit to a ridiculous 15 mph, especially on a
street that was designed as an east-west link through our city.
Furthermore, I feel that if the police would focus on the areas
where speeding is a problem and write more tickets, drivers will come
to know that the posted speed limit is enforced. A single ticket can
really change one's attitude. If the police put the manpower in the
problem areas, the city will make the money back in fines.
This step, I see, has a potential to result in a win-win
situation for the city, local residents and people like me, who once
preferred driving through lovely neighborhoods on Mountain Street
rather than fighting traffic on fast-paced freeways.
JUDY KOEPNICK
Glendale
