GLENDALE, AZ — Glendale is investing millions of dollars in its new budget for public safety improvements aimed at making roads safer for drivers and pedestrians in the West Valley.
The city is expanding its use of flashing yellow turn signals at key intersections, a technology that the city’s transportation director says has already proven effective at reducing crashes.
“The national average is about a 20% decrease in crashes, so we want to continue to invest in more of these flashing yellow arrows,” Ryan Lee said.
The system works by showing a green arrow, then a red light, followed by a flashing yellow signal once oncoming traffic clears the intersection. This sequence helps prevent drivers from running red arrows out of impatience.
"In the new budget on July 1st, we're going to have new funds to improve nine more intersections," Lee said.
Law enforcement will also receive upgrades as part of the safety push. Every Glendale police vehicle will be outfitted with new speed radar equipment capable of tracking all surrounding vehicles and their speeds, regardless of direction.
"It's not how it used to be where we are hiding behind something, pointing the laser. It's actively going, so you never know when an officer will be around, and if we detect you going fast, we have the authority to give you a ticket," said Officer Moroni Mendez of the Glendale Police Department.
Despite these infrastructure and enforcement improvements, some residents believe more needs to be done to address dangerous driving behaviors.
Ed Siqueiros, who lives in Glendale, has been advocating for increased traffic enforcement in his neighborhood. His efforts led to the installation of digital speed signs on 71st Street, but he still observes many drivers exceeding the speed limit.
With more than 1,000 traffic fatalities occurring annually across Arizona—most attributed to speeding, distracted driving, and impairment—Siqueiros emphasizes that road safety ultimately depends on individual driver responsibility.
"I don't want any more accidents. I just hate to see people get hurt," Siqueiros said.
If there’s a road safety concern near your neighborhood, you can contact the Operation Safe Roads team by email at roads@abc15.com.
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