Pasadena Freeway

A bill signed by Gov. Gray Davis will permit the transfer of Arroyo Parkway from Caltrans to the city of Pasadena. The change will enable city planners to manage traffic better on the thoroughfare, which begins at the northern end of the Pasadena Freeway, state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Pasadena), the measure's author, said Tuesday. Schiff called the signing of SB 1584 "another victory for local control over traffic." State law defines the Pasadena Freeway as ending at Colorado Boulevard.

After decades under state control, the Arroyo Parkway could soon be transferred to the city's jurisdiction under a bill now on the governor's desk. The street, which begins at the northern end of the Pasadena Freeway, currently is considered part of that freeway all the way to Colorado Boulevard a dozen blocks north. It is now under the wing of the state Department of Transportation.

Memo to Los Angeles-area commuters: It's illegal to go 80 mph on local freeways, even if you are only keeping up with traffic. As strange as it sounds for a city whose name is synonymous with gridlock, that reminder may be necessary because of the amazingly light conditions on local freeways these days. August has arrived. School's out, vacations are on, and this year people have an extra incentive to avoid downtown: next week's Democratic National Convention.

A brazen midday attack near the Pasadena Freeway this week took the life of an international career criminal, a 73-year-old retired airline pilot with a list of aliases and charges in half a dozen countries for offenses ranging from gold smuggling to espionage. Daniel Walcott, most recently of Menlo Park, Calif., was killed over a drug deal involving more than 200 pounds of cocaine, police said Friday.

Cora Alvarez, having lived a full 81 years in Solano Canyon--which hugs the hillsides around Dodger Stadium--can hardly recall a day when she and her neighbors have not been under siege from some public works project or sports stadium. About the only time she didn't worry was before the Great Depression. That's when the tightknit village was the quintessential Los Angeles melting pot, a home to immigrants from Mexico, China, Italy, Japan, Ireland, Germany and Czechoslovakia.

Re "Pasadena Freeway Is Headed for Immortality," July 22: If the engineers wish to rhapsodize over the quaint historic qualities of the Pasadena Freeway (110), they should scrape up the whole miserable concrete mess and put it in the freeway museum. That highway has been obsolete for 25 years: It's dangerous and inadequate. The transition from the 110 north to the I-5 north (with its counterpart from the I-5 south to the 110 south) is one of the worst freeway bottlenecks in the state.

On those rare times when cars in back let him get away with it, Andrew Johnston likes to slow down and admire the treasures hidden along the freeway. Over there are the stylized concrete railings that seem to have been crafted by artisans, not engineers. Up ahead is the unusual "compressed cloverleaf" that was once hailed as a traffic breakthrough. At the edge of the pavement are the remnants of ruby glass reflectors and curb lights that used to be so ahead of their time.

Depending on the time of day, the southbound Pasadena Freeway through Elysian Park either slows to an excruciating dribble or lurches and merges in a chaotic slalom race to downtown. The old stretch of freeway between the Los Angeles River and Chinatown has an accident rate three times the state average. To relieve the congestion, Caltrans is moving on a $15 million plan to add a 4,000-foot stretch of lane and ease the transition with Interstate 5.

Re "Bus Activists Vow to Block Pasadena Light Rail Project," March 10: Talk about a case of shortsighted views on transportation for the region. Constance Rice's comment, "If this means putting off rail for 25 years, so be it," is the most irresponsible thing to say. Why can't people be transported on light rail? The very communities that need transportation will be served by the Pasadena project. So I guess we should spend more money on buses that pollute the air and have short engine life spans due to the alternative fuel they use. Did the critics ever think that with projects like the Pasadena light rail more folks would use public transportation?

GARDEN A tour of hillside gardens in Mount Washington, 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Look for signs at Avenue 43 exit of the Pasadena Freeway. Free. (323) 225-2748. BENEFIT Blowout IX: A Hair-Raiser for AIDS, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday at the House of Blues, West Hollywood. $20-$40. (310) 887-7077. ANTIQUES Toyrific Antique and Collectible Toy Show, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, at the Pasadena Center. $5. (909) 880-8558. BOOKS Ray Manzarek discusses and signs "Light My Fire: My Life With the Doors," 3 p.m.