New Glendale Traffic Safety Warnings in English, Armenian, Spanish

By Veronica Rocha (LOS ANGELES TIMES)
Hoping to reduce car accidents involving pedestrians, Glendale officials have posted a crosswalk warning in three languages. The word “Look” is stenciled in English, Armenian and Spanish at the foot of the crosswalk at Broadway and Glendale Boulevard. And the message will be placed at several other intersections with high foot traffic.
It’s part of the city’s “Driven 2 Distraction” public-education campaign aimed to curb distracted driving and encourage pedestrian safety, officials said. Along with the word “Look,” the stencil includes an arrow pointing pedestrians to the intended direction of travel.
“We have done pedestrian safety stuff for a long time, and it’s just time for us to step this up,” public works director Steve Zurn said. “It just isn’t getting any better, and we need to do more and whatever we can to educate and to shock people into being safer — both motorists and pedestrians.”
Similar street signs have been used in England and Ireland, he added. More than 2,300 traffic collisions occurred in Glendale last year, according to the police department. Of those collisions, 660 resulted in injuries, and six were fatal. Sixty-four collisions involved pedestrians.

Photo Credit: Tim Berger / Times Community News