These stings, during which hundreds of tickets are written, have targeted jaywalkers and drivers, and each time they are performed, residents mock them and suggest officers' time would be better spent in other ways.
The police created a helicopter traffic enforcement system to monitor traffic speeds on Glenoaks Boulevard, which is known as a spot to drag race. The program drew complaints that the helicopters made too much noise.
And a yearlong pilot program is in the works that will test red-light photo enforcement cameras at troublesome intersections.
And yet, as we learned last week, even with the city's push for safety, pedestrians remain vulnerable. Accident rates have remained consistent, despite city efforts to calm traffic.
Pedestrians and drivers alike need to step up and bear their own responsibility, not just for themselves, but for each other.
Perhaps it's not the city that is the problem here — they are clearly trying. Perhaps it's the community. Police and city officials can't look both ways for people, and they can't ease off the accelerator in each car.
Glendale drivers are notoriously bad and dangerous drivers — there are studies out there proving it. And while this is the main problem that needs to be fixed, pedestrians must take it into account. That white walk symbol will not protect you from drivers who feel their time is more valuable than your life. Pedestrians must be extra vigilant in Glendale.
This is not to say the city can't and shouldn't do more — especially since the City Council is working to promote downtown living and a more pedestrianfriendly lifestyle in the city's center.
But drivers and pedestrians have a responsibility to be safe, for their own and each other's sake.
