MAILBAG - May 26, 2009
Red light cameras not in a good spot
I am currently a Glendale Community College student who commutes to school every day. I live in Burbank, and my way to the school parking lot is through Mountain Street. At the intersection of Verdugo Road and Mountain Street there are cameras in every direction. Every time I go through this area, I believe red light traffic cameras should be removed from this site.
Some people may believe that it is safer to put in red light traffic cameras to control college students’ driving habits. However, do they think of the danger that the traffic light cameras bring? Every time someone goes through a red light, it flashes in all directions, blinding drivers for a moment. Blind drivers can lead to bigger accidents than going through a red light.
Also, students, or anyone who uses Mountain Street coming down from the school parking lot, will notice that due to the hill, it is difficult to stop on time. Due to the weight of SUVs, trucks or any big automobile, it is hard to stop on the red light. I believe Glendale officials should have looked at the surroundings before they installed cameras.
Also, the citation cost is unreasonable. Any of the camera-based tickets cost from $300 to $500, plus the traffic school. The city of Glendale believes that everyone can afford to pay large sums of money, yet for college students it is difficult to have money on the side.
Furthermore, in this bad economy it will be a burden to pay large amounts of money, which could have been used for family or other useful purposes.
So I ask the city of Glendale and the community to remove the red light cameras on Mountain Street, and when the city decides to put new cameras in, it needs to look at the surrounding area to see if there will be any issues that will be difficult for people to stop before running on the red light.
CHRIS YOUNG JIN CHUNG
Burbank
Where’s the support for Salvation Army?
I thought there would be many letters defending the Salvation Army after the long, bitter criticism published a week or so ago (“Salvation Army is too choosy,” May 19), but since there have been none, I offer my admiration and thanks to the fine people of the Army.
The Salvation Army offers aid, employment, training and rehabilitation to people here in Glendale, and operates with low overhead and high quality.
All of my contacts with them have been positive. It is too bad that the critical letter writer did not understand that the large amount of household goods he had to donate might overwhelm the system, and that patience on his part would have been more appropriate than his anger. After all, his motives were presumably altruistic.
He probably didn’t realize that the tone of his letter suggested that what he was really seeking was free haul-away of his cast-offs.
JUNE CHELEDEN
Glendale
Thank you for helping Boy Scouts
Community spirit was alive and well Wednesday night when Damon’s Steakhouse hosted Troop 139’s “Tip a Scout” fundraiser, arranged by our wonderful parent Stacy Dunlap. On behalf of my sons and their fellow Boy Scouts, I would like to publicly thank the owners and staff of Damon’s. They were not only kind enough to hold the event, but they were also incredibly patient in training and working with the boys!
Damon’s was so generous, they even provided dinner for our Scouts on the house! To all those wonderful patrons (and staff) who donated to our cause, thank you! Your contribution will help the boys get to camp this summer. Our fabulous Scoutmaster David Potter has always said, “Things mean more when the Scouts help themselves.”
Working hard to earn this money has provided a valuable lesson to them all. All of us in Troop 139 truly appreciate everyone concerned!
KATHLEEN YEPEZ
Glendale