Motorists

Fifty motorists were cited over a two-day period this week for flouting crossing guards at some of Glendale’s most dangerous railroad crossings. Metrolink, Union Pacific and Glendale police conducted the enforcement campaign Thursday and Friday at the rail for crossings at Chevy Chase Drive, Doran Street and Brazil Street because of the large number of vehicles that travel through the intersections to enter the San Fernando industrial corridor....

Ten motorists were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence during a sobriety checkpoint in Glendale on Friday, police said. Of the 10 arrests, nine were for driving while drunk, the other was drug related, according to Sgt. Richard Phillips. During the checkpoint on Brand Boulevard and Milford Street, officers conducted 25 field sobriety tests. In total, police stopped 679 vehicles and screened 97 cars, according to Phillips. Eight vehicles were towed. Another three motorists were arrested for other driving violations, Phillips said.

CITY HALL — City transportation commissioners this week approved a slate of speed humps requested by residents fed up with motorists speeding through their streets. Residents from three Glendale neighborhoods had petitioned for the speed humps, which they hoped would improve dangerous conditions. “There are people going down that street going 65 mph,” Montrose Avenue resident George Anderson told the Glendale Transportation and Parking Commission on Monday. “We have children playing there …We have to stop this because some kid is going to get run over and killed.” Commissioners approved four speed humps on Montrose Avenue between New York and Pennsylvania avenues, three speed humps on Allen Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Lake Street and two speed humps on Cleveland Road between Glenoaks Boulevard and Zook Drive.

Police arrested five motorists Sunday as part of a regional St. Patrick's Day crackdown on drunk driving. Officers from Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and San Fernando stopped 56 vehicles during a roving patrol aimed at motorists who were driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Of the 56 vehicles stopped, five motorists were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, according to Glendale police. Officers conducted 21 field sobriety tests and impounded one vehicle. Another two motorists were arrested for allegedly driving on a suspended license.

GLENDALE — A weekend sobriety checkpoint at San Fernando Road and Palmer Avenue resulted in 12 motorists being arrested. Two motorists were nabbed for drunken driving and driving under the influence of marijuana, Glendale police Sgt. Dennis Smith said. Police conducted 12 field-sobriety tests on motorists during the checkpoint between 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 a.m Sunday, Glendale police Sgt. Tom Lorenz said. “A lot of people don’t realize [marijuana] could have the same effect as alcohol,” Smith said.

GLENDALE — Bicyclist Deonne Monory wants to peacefully share city streets with motorists, but the roads have recently become more hostile. Monory was almost hit by a motorist about two weeks ago on Broadway near Glendale Boulevard on her way to work at Glendale Adventist Memorial Center, she said. “I have never been so scared before,” said Monory, 43, of Tujunga. Attacks on cyclists are not uncommon, said Planning and Policy Director Dorothy Le of the Los Angeles County Bike Coalition.

I’m frequently asked about the rules of the road for bicyclists and am surprised to discover how little most people know about the California Vehicle Code and what it says about bicyclists. Several recent letters to the Glendale News-Press (“Safety a reason cyclists go in groups,” Mailbag, April 9; “Bicyclists should stay in single file,” Mailbag, Wednesday) have prompted me to offer some additional commentary. For the purpose of this piece, I will be discussing adult bicycle riders only.

GLENDALE — Police issued 26 citations to motorists in the city during the first seven days that two cellphone laws went into effect, officials said. The laws make it illegal to use a hand-held cellphone while driving, and don’t allow anyone 17 and younger to use a cellphone — even with a headset or another hands-free device — laptop, pager or other electronic mobile communication devices. California Highway Patrol officials reported that stations in Altadena and Central Los Angeles, whose coverage area includes Glendale, reported that they issued about 20 citations on July 1, when the two laws went into effect.

A rash of pedestrian-involved collisions this week has again put a spotlight on one of the city's top public safety issues, which officials said will be dealt with through tougher enforcement and increased public education. A baby in a stroller, a middle school student and two seniors were struck this week by motorists while they were walking in Glendale crosswalks. "To be honest, I am devastated," Mayor Ara Najarian said. "I am so disappointed and so frustrated at the continued rash of pedestrian accidents we are experiencing.

More than half of the motorists arrested on Sunday in Glendale for alleged drunk driving attended a Super Bowl party, officials said. Of the nine motorists arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, six were attending or leaving a Super Bowl party, Sgt. Michael Glassick said. Two motorists were involved in minor traffic collisions, during which they crashed in a parking lot and into a mailbox, he added. No one was injured. One of the motorists had a .25-blood alcohol level, more than three times the legal limit, Glassick said.

A 43-year-old mother and her 6-year-old son were injured Monday morning after a motorist struck them in a crosswalk, police said. The mother and her son were walking north on Victory Boulevard about 7:58 a.m. when they were struck by the 52-year-old motorist at Western Avenue, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Harley Wing. The motorist, who stopped at the scene, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Wing added. The mother briefly lost consciousness and suffered a cut to her head, he said.

Six motorists were arrested Saturday during a sobriety checkpoint in South Glendale, police said. Of the six motorists, five were allegedly drunk driving while another was driving under the influence of drugs, according to Glendale police. More than 900 vehicles drove through the checkpoint at Brand Boulevard and Cerritos Avenue, where six vehicles were also towed. Police stopped 619 vehicles and conducted 20 field sobriety tests on motorists. Another 11 drivers were arrested on suspicion of driving without a valid license, police said.

Glendale police plan to conduct a sobriety and driver's license checkpoint Saturday at an undisclosed location in the city. Officers will be monitoring motorists from 7:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. at the checkpoint to determine whether they are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Police arrested six motorists on April 20 on suspicion of DUI during a checkpoint at Los Feliz Road and Gardena Avenue. They also conducted 26 field sobriety tests and towed nine vehicles. Another 14 motorists were arrested for driver's license violations.

Six motorists were arrested Saturday night during a sobriety checkpoint in South Glendale, police said. Of the six motorists arrested, five were for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs, according to Glendale police. The sixth arrest was on suspicion of drunk driving. More than 1,600 vehicles drove through the checkpoint at Los Feliz Road and Gardena Avenue. Police screened 73 vehicles and directed 26 field sobriety tests on motorists. Officers made additional arrests in connection with narcotics use, outstanding warrants and driver's license violations, police said.

Police arrested five motorists Sunday as part of a regional St. Patrick's Day crackdown on drunk driving. Officers from Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena and San Fernando stopped 56 vehicles during a roving patrol aimed at motorists who were driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Of the 56 vehicles stopped, five motorists were arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, according to Glendale police. Officers conducted 21 field sobriety tests and impounded one vehicle. Another two motorists were arrested for allegedly driving on a suspended license.

Police have set up a perimeter near Descanso Gardens in search of a motorist who reportedly fled from officers. Police officers have closed off streets surrounding Descanso and Chevy Chase drives in La Canada Flintridge and are searching for the motorist, who ran from his vehicle and into the area, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Tom Lorenz. It is unknown why the motorist fled from police, he added. --Veronica Rocha, Times Community News Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA .

The motorist who was killed Monday after her vehicle careened off Angeles Crest Highway has been identified by coroner's officials as Montrose resident Maral Joulakian. An autopsy for Joulakian, 43, was still pending, according to Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman Ed Winter. County firefighters were called to the 32.2-mile mark of the highway about 1:45 p.m. after someone saw a vehicle leave the roadway, the L.A. Times reported. The cause of the accident, in which her car tumbled several hundred feet down a steep ravine, remained under investigation.

Five motorists were arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol during a sobriety checkpoint in the city, police said. Of the more than 1,100 vehicles that drove through the checkpoint at Brand Boulevard and Milford Street, 722 were stopped and 80 were screened, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Richard Phillips. Police arrested three motorists on suspicion of drunk driving and two drivers for allegedly using drugs and driving, he added. Also, a motorist was arrested on suspicion of driving on a suspended license while 10 other drivers were cited for traffic infractions.

Glendale police will be patrolling the city Saturday in search of motorists who are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The patrol is part of a larger, multiple-agency, anti-DUI crackdown known as the “Avoid the 100” with police participation from Glendale, South Pasadena, Pasadena, Burbank, San Marino, San Fernando, Los Angeles and the California Highway Patrol. Glendale police arrested nine motorists during a similar DUI patrol on Dec. 14 and stopped 70 vehicles.