MAILBAG - April 13, 2009
Freeway is trouble waiting to happen
The inevitable happened again.
After driving this section of the freeway hundreds of times and keeping up with the average speed of traffic, which is usually 70 mph or faster even though it is posted for 65 mph, I’m amazed we don’t have more deaths daily in the Crescenta Valley section of the Foothill (210) Freeway.
After reading Mary O’Keefe’s article (“Trucks collide, killing one,” Friday) where the driver of the big rig said he was doing 55 mph, I had the best laugh I’ve had in a long time. Big rigs driving eastbound coming down the grade into Crescenta Valley mostly drive the same speed as cars and tailgate while doing it. Obviously, big-rig drivers don’t understand the meaning of kinetic energy.
Many letters have been written to the California Highway Patrol commissioner in Sacramento, complaining about the high speed big rigs travel through Crescenta Valley with little to no speed enforcement by the CHP.
The intersection of the 210 and the Glendale (2) Freeway is so poorly designed, one must hold their breath every time they drive through it.
Frequently, vehicles driving eastbound on the 210 in the No. 1 or 2 lane cut across all lanes through heavy traffic to go south on the 2 Freeway, causing many vehicles to brake unnecessarily.
To compound the problem, traffic entering the freeway from the Crescenta Valley Boulevard onramp try to maneuver through the southbound 2 Freeway traffic to continue east on the 210. One could refer to this as a good exercise in defensive driving, which seems to be lacking.
A CHP officer could write citations all day at this intersection for vehicles failing to yield the right of way.
ANDREW J. GERO
La Crescenta
Free enterprise reigns in the U.S.
Regarding “Caruso changes market’s day,” March 20:
To quote Shakespeare, “Much Ado About Nothing” is what this farmers market debate is. Let’s face it — downtown Glendale and downtown Montrose is the distance between Mars and Pluto. Whoever came up with this “markets competing” issue has too much time on his/her hands. Free markets and free enterprise are what America is all about.
DAVID LEE WILLIAMS
Glendale
Where does the spending end?
Councilman Ara Najarian, a lawyer, stated, “I feel like I’m running into roadblock after roadblock in trying to advance this pool concept. I’m just so disappointed in this whole process” (“Council picks L-shaped pool,” April 2).
By 2010, the city of Los Angeles will be faced with annual budget shortfalls that could grow to nearly $1 billion. Last week, the Glendale City Council supported a $5.8-million pool at Pacific Park. The design preserves an existing children’s spray-and-play area. I thought California had a drought problem. The cost to operate yearly water, electric and staff for the pool would be $661,000. California has a deficit of $42 billion. Glendale has an $8 million deficit. China holds roughly $1 trillion of U.S. Treasury and other government-backed funds. The nation’s jobless rate rises to 8.5%. Congress this week approved a $3.5 trillion spending blueprint.
If everyone pulled their own weight, we would not need a welfare state.
Over the years, Americans have become less self-reliant. Some have become more and more accustomed to government entitlements. In the past, it was expected for one to be independent, responsible.
Now the problems are solved at someone else’s expense. It used to be “We the people, for the people, by the people.” Now it is “I the government.”
LILLIAN AZARIAN
Glendale
City an empty nest without Big Boy
Regarding “Bob’s Big Boy gets the ax,” Friday:
We have lost the Days of the Verdugos Parade and now the only Bob’s Big Boy in Glendale. The Bob’s on Colorado Street should have been saved years ago.
Except for the Alex Theatre and Glendale Centre Theatre, it is sad to see that Glendale is losing its true identity and becoming just another typical developers’ city (traffic, high rises and all).
ELAINE ALEXANDER
Glendale