Glendale launches two‑year update to transportation plan; public engagement to begin in November

City staff and consultants briefed the council on Oct. 28 on the start of a two‑year update to the City of Glendale Transportation Plan, describing the plan as a citywide multimodal “game plan” for how people and goods move through Glendale.

Parabhadibala, Glendale’s director of transportation, introduced consultant representatives and said the plan will update the city’s guidance for transportation investment priorities and coordinate with the ongoing general plan, active transportation, airport master plan and Vision 0 safety work. Consultant Rose Hugo (Kittleson) told the council the plan will evaluate existing conditions, model growth impacts, develop a policy/design toolbox and produce a phased action and investment plan.

The study area covers the Glendale Metropolitan Planning Area, focused on city‑maintained facilities while coordinating with regional partners, and will include an updated inventory of roadway and active‑transportation facilities, a tiered prioritization across the full area and within neighborhoods, a corridor‑level analysis and a design toolbox for updated street sections. The plan will include a funding and financial analysis; consultants said they will identify what the city can afford in five‑year, 10‑year and 25‑year timeframes.

Consultants said the outreach program includes three engagement phases and roughly 10 public events per phase (pop‑ups at community events, district council meetings and transit stops, plus online surveys and mapping tools). Staff said the first phase of engagement is expected to start in November; the project team hopes to return with findings and draft priorities in the spring and to seek council approval at the end of next year.

Council members requested that staff and consultants consider neighborhood crosswalks (including high‑visibility and diagonal crossings near schools), clarify the process and thresholds for speed‑hump requests, expand mobility options for seniors and students (including additional GUS bus stops), and analyze rail crossings and ride‑share pickup/drop‑off accommodations. Staff said project prioritization will identify candidate projects that could be considered for the capital improvement program and that funding decisions will come later in the process.

No formal action was taken. Staff asked council members to provide additional comments by email and invited council to help promote the outreach and survey materials in their districts.