Mailbag: Drayman way off on bunny outburst

I am shocked and dismayed by Councilman John Drayman’s reaction to a recent pedestrian safety operation conducted by the Glendale Police Traffic Bureau (“Sting like a bunny,” April 1).

According to the article in the Glendale News-Press, the operation infuriated Councilman John Drayman, who called the operation a “stupid traffic stunt” that was “breathtakingly dangerous.” Drayman also said city resources would have been more appropriately used to clamp down on speeding motorists — an issue that prompts daily complaints from the public.

Apparently, Drayman has discarded the statistical reports, news articles and factual accounts of injuries and deaths to pedestrians in Glendale.

While speeding is a problem in Glendale, the majority of fatalities in Glendale in the past 20 years have been pedestrians — such a significant problem that now-retired Glendale Police Sgt. Lewie Guay created the Ped-Decoy program, which the California Office of Traffic Safety and the Wall Street Journal took positive note of. The program has now been adopted worldwide by a number of law enforcement agencies and contributes to a reduction in fatal accidents.

In the article, Drayman said, “The police may be experts in public safety, but they don’t have a padlock on common sense. This is not law enforcement, this is taking public safety personnel, dressing them as bunny rabbits to confuse, disorient and shock drivers and then cite them with traffic tickets.”

Well, first of all, I take umbrage with Drayman’s insult to the officers. These proud men and women put their lives on the line every day, using good judgment and common sense to keep Glendale as one of the safest large cities in America.

Secondly, the use of Santa or Easter Bunny costumes was adopted years ago to bring public and media attention to pedestrian safety during the respective holiday seasons. This is not the first time this has been done, and many agencies also use the costumes.

Many times the motorists say they never saw a pedestrian, or there was no pedestrian in the crosswalk. If a motorist can’t see a 6-foot-tall Easter Bunny or Santa in the crosswalk, they surely won’t see a frail senior citizen crossing.