New signals slow traffic but help drivers...

New signals slow traffic but help drivers get acquainted

I would like to congratulate the traffic division for slowing us

all down on the streets in Burbank. I can see now how it’s been a

real problem having traffic moving efficiently through the city. It’s

much better to slow everyone down and have us wait at the new, longer

stop lights being put up all over the city.

Now there’s plenty of time to read that new book you just bought,

balance your checkbook or make that cell phone call to your long lost

cousin Bob. There’s plenty of time to scan through all the radio

stations and reprogram your radio. And we finally have the time to

search the car for that Bruce Springsteen tape that has been missing

in action for the past two years.

And the other drivers are so happy and courteous, too. Everyone is

giving each other the old one-finger “hi” sign. Happy people are

waiting for 10 minutes to get through the “new improved” five points

intersection near Costco. Joyous drivers are trying desperately to

pull out of the blocked parking lots of businesses located near

stoplights where the traffic has backed up. Gleeful residents are

braking every 200 yards for one red stoplight after another.

And think of all the new friends we’ll be making at the brake

shops and the gas stations. I can see now that it’s all part of

Burbank’s divine plan to stop moving traffic in the city so that we

can all get to know one another. Happy, happy people waiting together

in a happy world.

Will Ray

Burbank

Traffic signals need further fine tuning

I have a confession to make. I did something last Thursday

afternoon that has bothered me to the point that I have difficulty

sleeping at night. You see, I was driving eastbound on Magnolia

Boulevard about 6 p.m., and as I approached Buena Vista Street, the

light suddenly turned to green. This allowed me, as well as several

of the cars ahead of me, to proceed without stopping. I know that

this is not supposed to happen since the installation of all those

left-turn signals, but it did. I guess I just got caught up in the

moment. Seeing no police officers around, I went for it.

I know that the traffic engineers have installed the new signals

so that the small percentage of cars turning left won’t have to wait

more than one signal cycle (good idea), and the vast majority of cars

proceeding straight ahead must often wait through two cycles (bad

idea). The new traffic patterns allow traffic to back up for two

blocks before major intersections and force large groups of cars to

stop at the next two lights at minor intersections because the new

signals haven’t been synchronized yet.

I understand that there will be synchronization in the future

(good idea), but it is not yet in place. However, what happened last

Thursday, quite frankly, smacks of the “S” word, and I think the

traffic engineers should look into it to see that this type of thing

doesn’t happen again. I would also urge those other motorists who

went through the intersection with me on the green, without stopping,

to come forward and turn yourselves in. You know who you are.

John Suderman

Burbank