Consortium Gets $60,000 for Traffic-Reduction Plan

A consortium of Glendale employers working to relieve downtown traffic has been awarded a $60,000 state grant to develop a computerized ride-sharing program and other trip-reduction plans.

The grant is one of 24 awarded in the state since Gov. George Deukmejian launched a traffic reduction program last year, said John Wolf, chief of the governor’s special transportation management task force.

It will be used by 18 major local employers, including the city of Glendale, which have pledged to work together to cut peak-hour congestion and to comply with state-mandated orders to reduce automobile-generated air pollution.

Develop Programs

Wolf said the money is to help local employers develop programs “to encourage their employees to drive a lot less.” He said the programs are expected to take about two years to develop before they will become self-sustaining through contributions from employers and their workers.

The grant was awarded to Glendale Partners, a group of major business leaders formed several years ago to promote development in the downtown area.

The grant will come from the California Department of Transportation. It will be administered by the Glendale Transportation Management Assn., which is in the process of becoming incorporated, said Tom Horne, city traffic and transit administrator.

Charter members of the transportation association include Security Pacific Automation, Walt Disney Imagineering, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center, Glendale Federal Bank, Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Verdugo Hills Hospital and the Glendale Galleria.