Glendale Beeline

GLENDALE — Residents concerned about the cancellation of bus service to the Glenoaks Canyon area were able to breathe a sigh of relief Tuesday as Councilman Ara Najarian announced that he had reached a solution to the problem. A small shuttle will replace Metropolitan Transportation Authority's bus line 201, which will stop servicing the area Sunday. It will be paid for with $45,000 the transit authority is offering as compensation for shutting the line down. "It's something that's hopefully going to tide the canyon over until the implementation of our short-range plan," Najarian said.

Darleene Barrientos The House of Representatives approved a $286.4-billion transportation bill on Friday, which will funnel $3.3 million into street and transportation improvements in Glendale and Burbank. It took nearly three years to pass the bill because Congress and the White House bickered over what were proper spending levels for transportation. States also disagreed on how to best divide the billions in federal highway money. The nation's 1998-2003 transportation act expired in September 2003 and this latest transportation bill will cover 2004 through 2009.

Josh Kleinbaum A man sat on a folding chair just inside the doors of the National Guard Armory in Glendale last week, waiting to be processed in to Glendale's biggest homeless shelter. "The wind whipped up something awful last night," he said. "It's too cold to stay outside." On his 41st birthday, the man realized it was too cold at his sleeping spot in Pasadena. So, like many of Southern California's homeless, he came to Glendale. From Pasadena, the San Fernando Valley and even Orange County, homeless people come by bus for a roof and a warm meal, knowing that if they get there early enough, they will get one of the 150 beds at the YMCA-run shelter.

Darleene Barrientos The first of two parts. GLENDALE -- The city's latest pedestrian safety campaign doesn't include "Enter at your own risk" signs for crosswalks, but it probably should. In the latest of dozens of pedestrian accidents this year in the city, a Glendale woman was hit Wednesday by a car turning left in the intersection of Brand Boulevard and Broadway. Investigators detained a 79-year-old Glendale man after his car struck the woman in the crosswalk, but he was not arrested, Glendale Police Lt. Don Meredith said.

Ryan Carter A Metropolitan Transit Authority mechanics' strike has shut down much of the county's public transportation infrastructure, but some bastions of mass transit are still available in Glendale. "They are scattered throughout Los Angeles County," MTA spokesman Dave Sotero said. A contracted service, Line 177, will continue to run as scheduled through Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, Monrovia and Duarte. MetroLink and Amtrak trains will keep operating during the walkout.

Josh Kleinbaum Meet Walkin' Willie: He's slim, slanted and always on the move, and coming soon to the side of bus near you. Willie is the face of the city's new public outreach campaign, designed to increase awareness of pedestrian safety. The campaign debuts this week. "Pedestrian safety is a problem everywhere in the state of California," Glendale Police Sgt. Lewie Guay said. "All you have to do is look at the facts and figures and different stories that are hitting print media and live television media to see that there's a problem."

Joshua Pelzer Riding the Glendale Beeline should be a more efficient traveling experience, thanks to new technology unveiled Tuesday at the Glendale Transportation Center. The NextBus Information System was introduced as a new addition to its Transit Priority System, which gives buses that are behind schedule preference at traffic signals by extending green lights or giving them early green lights. The transit system is a $1-million pilot project funded through a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — The Glendale Beeline picked up Monday where the Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus line 201 left off when it discontinued service on Sunday, but to fewer riders than usual. About 10 people used the new shuttle service for the Glenoaks Canyon area Monday morning from 6:18 a.m. and noon, which is slightly fewer than usual, said shuttle driver Gary Herrejon, who has driven bus 201 in the past. Bus line 201, which stopped its service to the Glenoaks Canyon area on Sunday, transported about 40 people a day, Councilman Ara Najarian said.

In response to Adrienne Boswell’s letter (“Marquee shouldn’t increase bus fares,” Jan. 8), I would like to make several points. First, while the new marquee system may seem “unnecessary” to you and me, it may prove beneficial to disabled citizens who may have difficulty seeing or hearing. Further, while some if not most bus drivers announce the stops, not all of them do. As a frequent Beeline patron, I can attest to that fact. What’s more, the marquee system relieves bus drivers of the burden of having to verbalize the same thing repeatedly all day every day; however, it might arguably be just as annoying for bus drivers to have to listen to the robotic voice all day long.

Driving up Brand Boulevard to my office, the view has been quite nice. Guarded by the tall, skinny palm trees on both sides and concluding at the scenic hills up above, the jewel street of the Jewel City is as sparkling as I've ever seen it. There have been no signs of crazy March weather so far, and the blue skies have been watching over us for the better part of this month. As the cars pass by and the efficient Glendale Beeline does its work transporting residents, I am caught with the thought that we do really live in a nice place.