Crash underscores need for overpass

It was sad to see the aftermath of a MetroLink train collision

with a truck at Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Boulevard here in

Burbank. My heart goes out to the truck driver’s family. I have to

say that intersection is one of the most dangerous in Burbank. It’s

very confusing for drivers, and the stoplights there hold up traffic

for so long that people get very impatient. I believe there needs to

be an underpass for traffic traveling down Buena Vista Street in

order to avoid crossing the train tracks altogether. These MetroLink

trains come flying down the tracks at 60 mph and sometimes take half

a mile to stop.

With the addition of the Empire Center, Buena Vista Street has

become very busy, with traffic always stopping at San Fernando

Boulevard for trains as well as for its long stoplights. A disturbing

trend I see in Burbank is the proliferation of these long stoplights

that hold up traffic with their left-turn signals. These stoplights

add to the already bad congestion in Burbank and also contribute to

our high pollution levels. After the MetroLink accident, a Burbank

city engineer told the press that the city was planning on widening

Buena Vista Street and putting a left-turn signal there. Forget that,

guys -- build an overpass or underpass. Do you think longer lights

there are really going to help the problem?

If Burbank is going to continue to build shopping centers and

malls to attract people, then we need to move people in a more

efficient manner. That means more synchronized stoplights and

overpasses at dangerous intersections. Now, if we could only fix the

one at Burbank and Victory boulevards across from Costco.

WILL RAY

Burbank

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The city and Caltrans have been developing a

project that will include an overpass for trains at San Fernando

Boulevard and Buena Vista Street. Construction is set to begin next

year.