“The idea is that we’re trying to get a snapshot of how many people are walking and biking in Glendale and where,” said Colin Bogart, a liaison with the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition. “It’s a first step toward collecting this kind of data.”
Similar counts took place last week, and the weekend figures will be used to compare traffic patterns.
“That helps when the city is applying for money that is competitive,” Bogart said. “It’s additional data to say, ‘we’ve looked at that, and here’s the data we have.’”
Organizers said they hoped the data would help city officials make informed decisions about infrastructure improvements and underscore the value of bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly streets.
Locations were selected because they matched proposed bike routes, or because bicyclists and pedestrians use the intersections often, Bogart said. Additional counting sites included Ocean View Boulevard and Broadview Drive, Glenoaks Boulevard and Grandview Avenue, Concord and Doran streets and Los Feliz Boulevard and San Fernando Road.
Glendale has one bike lane along Glenoaks Boulevard.
“And it’s not even that long,” Friedman said while recording the direction of a man jogging with a golden retriever.
Friedman said she advocates more bike and pedestrian accommodations as a way to increase social interaction, beautify the community, and make Glendale a destination to nonresidents.
“People want to be in areas where they can walk,” she said. “People have a desire to bike . . . and you have a healthier population.”
