GLENDALE : Coalition Seeks Input on Bike Paths Plan

A local transportation group is working to make it easier for bicycle riders to navigate the busy streets of Glendale and nearby cities. The Arroyo-Verdugo Transportation Coalition, a panel of city officials and business people from Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, La Canada-Flintridge and South Pasadena, has proposed a network of new bike paths throughout the five-city area to make traveling smoother for both recreational and commuter cyclists.

The group is now seeking public input. “We need feedback from cyclists to tell us if we’re on the right track,” said Steve Adams, an assistant in the Glendale city manager’s office and a project coordinator. The plan is being developed in coordination with a larger bikeway project being created for the entire San Fernando Valley by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

At a public meeting in Glendale on Monday, the coalition and the MTA will display their preliminary plans for the five-city system.

“The purpose is to get people who regularly participate in cycling to tell us whether these are logical routes, or if we’ve missed something,” Adams said.

In addition to making it easier for cyclists to ride in the five-city area, the plan calls for bike racks and lockers, water fountains and restrooms to be built along the routes. Some of the bike paths might be created on designated portions of existing roads, but others could be put on trails running through parks and recreation areas, officials said.

The coalition’s bikeway plan is being prepared with a $32,000 grant from the Southern California Assn. of Governments.

The meeting is scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the community center at Glenoaks Park, 2531 E. Glenoaks Blvd. For more information, call (818) 953-4325.