"Fence builds friction in Burbank airport area"

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

Fence builds friction in airport area
Is new barrier safety measure or move to limit competition?
By Susan Abram
The Los Angeles (CA) Daily News


BURBANK -- The Burbank Airport has erected a fence that blocks direct access
to the passenger terminal from a rival private parking lot.

In doing so Saturday, airport officials cited concerns for pedestrian
safety. Owners of the parking lot, however, labeled it a move to limit
competition.

"They keep doing more and more outlandish things to hurt us, but what they
are doing is sending more customers our way," said Brett Foy, vice president
of Zelman Development Co., owners of Star Park. "The only argument they've
ever made for this is safety, which is a total smoke screen."

Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport spokesman Victor Gill said jaywalking
pedestrians are endangered crossing over to the terminal. City Council
members on Tuesday saw a videotape of people crossing through traffic to get
to the terminal. 

"The airport has a huge concern about both its present and future
liability," Gill said. "Star Park operates one parking lot. We operate
parking and the airport."

Dios Marerro, president of the Burbank Airport Authority, spoke to the
council after seeing the videotape.

"This is the kind of situation I don't think you would want to see on any of
your city streets," he told the council members. "We don't want to see this
on our streets either."

But some council members said they doubted that the fence was put up out of
concern for safety, suggesting it was part of an economic war between the
airport and the parking lot operators.

"I'm disgusted," said Mayor Stacey Murphy. "I think this is disingenuous."

The new fence is the latest round in the dispute between the Burbank Airport
Authority and Zelman, which opened the 2,200-space Star Park late last year.

Since its opening, the airport erected one fence, which was removed,
eliminated a crosswalk at the site, erected no-crossing signs and ticketed
more than 100 pedestrians. Just last week, three pedestrians who contested
their tickets in court saw them dismissed.

On Saturday, fences and barricades were put up along Hollywood Way near the
entrance to the terminal, as well as around the airport's own valet parking
structure and shuttle drop-off and pickup points to discourage walking in
the area.

Shuttle service from the long-term parking lots on Hollywood Way has been
rerouted.

Foy said the fences and shuttle rerouting will only encourage more traffic
and will hurt airport parking business.

The Airport Authority already has said annual parking revenues have
decreased, from an average of $16 million to $10 million. The airport also
has lowered its parking rates as a result of the competition.


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