Residents seek ride assistance

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — After winning a battle in December to retain transit service in their area, Glenoaks Canyon residents now face a new threat to their public transportation.

Canyon residents lost bus service and had to settle for a small Beeline shuttle.

And now they may lose this option for a more sporadic bus route, or a public Dial-A-Ride service under the city's Short-Range Transit Master Plan.

There are mixed feelings on losing the shuttle, as some found it to be unhelpful in getting them around town.

"Right now it's really a shuttle to nowhere," said Don Pearson, president of the Glenoaks Canyon Homeowners Assn. "That's not an acceptable solution for our canyon residents."

Problems started for canyon residents late last year when Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus Line 201 halted its service to the area due to low ridership.

In a last-minute maneuver, the Glendale City Council came to the residents' aid by providing a temporary solution in the form of a small shuttle that would service the area until this summer, when the council would decide on a more permanent solution.

At present, the shuttle runs between Glenoaks Park and the Glendale Adventist Medical Center's Children's Center, dropping residents off at an area where they can catch a bus.

Many canyon residents are looking for a solution that will allow them to get where they need to go, or get visitors up to the canyon.

After Glenoaks Canyon residents expressed strong concern at the Transportation and Parking Commission meeting on April 30, Glendale Traffic and Transportation Administrator Jano Baghdanian asked to meet with them to discuss options.

This meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Joe Bridges Clubhouse at Glenoaks Park.

"We're looking at more of a review with the residents as to the problems we have with the current service," Baghdanian said.

What is discussed in the meeting will then be used to help refine the plans for the area, he said.

"The purpose of the meeting is to give them some ideas and get some feedback before we go to City Council," Baghdanian said.

"This is our chance to talk to them … and refine our plan."

Options suggested at the April 30 meeting to deal with the Glenoaks Canyon transit issue included providing a public Dial-A-Ride service that would make several trips at busy times throughout day to pick up residents and take them downtown. Another proposed option was to have a Glendale Beeline route detour up into the canyon at select times of the day.

In the meantime, canyon residents are waiting to learn more.

"We'd like to see what the city proposes," said Renay Wallace, the homeowner association's vice president. "We do need something up here."

QUESTION

What do you think the city should do about bus transportation in Glenoaks Canyon? E-mail gnp@latimes.com or write to News-Press Community Forum, 221 N. Brand Blvd., 2nd Floor, Glendale, CA 91203. Please include your name and tell us your hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.