By Justin HAGER

Los Angeles County Public Works, the City of Glendale and the City of La Cañada Flintridge held a meeting last week to share their desire for community input on the creation of an active transportation plan for a large swath of Foothill Boulevard traversing the three jurisdictions. At the meeting, which took place on Wednesday night, representatives from the three jurisdictions asked the members of the local community to weigh in on ideas for how to make Foothill Boulevard safer and more friendly for people engaging in active transit such as walking and cycling. They hope that, with extensive community input and ideation, they can create a long-term plan for active transportation improvements over a six-mile stretch of Foothill Boulevard from Lowell Avenue in Far North Glendale through unincorporated La Crescenta, and ending at Oak Grove Drive in La Cañada Flintridge. This stretch of Foothill near a number of prominent locations utilized by active transit users include three high schools, the YMCA of the Foothills, Descanso Gardens, the La Crescenta Public Library and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Because the purpose of the meeting was to ask for input, ideas and assistance in developing a plan, no decisions were made and no specific details are yet known. However, representatives of Public Works shared that possible improvements might include upgrades to the current class 2 bike lanes; widening of sidewalks to allow for greater pedestrian access and installation of pedestrian furniture such as benches; increased pedestrian visibility strategies such as curb extensions or high visibility continental crosswalks; traffic calming and beautification measures such as curb extensions and raised landscaped medians; and increased or improved way-finding signs to guide travelers to major destinations such as parks, hospitals, libraries and local attractions. Members of the public are invited to submit their ideas via the website https://pw.lacounty.gov/tpp/foothillblvdatp/.

On the website they can view, submit and provide feedback on various proposals and use an interactive map to show the exact intersections and improvements they would like to see.

In addition to the community workshop meeting and website, the three jurisdictions also announced plans to learn first-hand about the stretch of Foothill Boulevard in question by hosting a series of walking and biking audits. The audits will take groups of community members and planning officials on walking and biking trips along Foothill Boulevard to experience, witness and assess possible strategies for increasing pedestrian and cyclist safety and accessibility in the region.

To learn more about the project or submit comments or concerns, visit https://pw.lacounty.gov/tpp/foothillblvdatp/.