In regard to the Glendale Boulevard "island makeover," Kevin Kuzma takes the long view -- in both directions. Kevin, who is president of the Echo Park Historical Society, points out that the traffic islands in question once held streetcar tracks.

Kevin:

You know, [the Glendale Blvd.] medians were not dramatically reconfigured during this last round of work. Yes, left turn lanes were added, as well as some great clusters of poppies, but the medians are basically as they were after the Pacific Electric's Edendale/Glendale/Burbank line tracks were ripped out.

Glendale Blvd's median, like most landscaped medians in Los Angeles, originally held streetcar tracks. Maybe, one day, these landscaped medians will be reused as right-of-way for future light rail lines. If that happens, today's landscaping projects might seem like enlightened land-banking.

In the meantime, maybe we can leave it the way it is--a very particular kind of wilderness.