Pasadena Residents Want Safe Greenways

Speed bumps on Wilson Ave. near McDonald Park slow drive speeds to about 20 mph (Photo – pasadenacsc.org)

Have you ever had a near miss with a speeding car?

 You’re not alone. Dangerous driving is a national epidemic. Unfortunately, Pasadena consistently ranks as one of the five most dangerous cities in California (compared with similar sized cities) for deaths and injuries from car crashes.

Wouldn’t you rather live on a street where drivers pay attention to the street and drive slowly enough to avoid potential crashes?

Pasadena city staff are currently working on plans for four Neighborhood Greenways: streets designed for slower, safer traffic. El Molino, Wilson, Sierra Bonita, and Craig have been chosen for the project. Out of the 16 Pasadena streets that connect neighborhoods across the 210

Freeway, these are the four with the least traffic. With modest design changes, the entire lengths of those streets can become safer and more comfortable for everyone. Studies consistently show that street design, not education or enforcement, is the most important factor in reducing speeding and preventing crashes.

The Neighborhood Greenways will also link together other bike routes, as cities like Palo Alto and Boston have done. In Palo Alto, a Greenways network has made biking so safe and convenient that 48% of students ride their bikes to school.

Street design criteria that result in low traffic speeds, specifically speeds under 25 mph, and reduced “cut-through” traffic, are known as the “All Ages & Abilities Guidelines.”

What would it take to make four Pasadena streets into All Ages & Abilities Greenways? Wilson Avenue in Bungalow Heaven, near McDonald Park, already meets the criteria. Existing speed humps slow down cars, and the “T” intersection at Washington Blvd. limits cut-through traffic.

Many other segments of these streets are unsafe for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, however. For example, south of Orange Grove, drivers go much faster on Wilson. Speeding cars endanger bicyclists and pedestrians. Wilson Avenue residents south of Orange Grove, and people walking and biking to Caltech and other destinations, deserve the same quiet, safe conditions as the residents of Bungalow Heaven. What about El Molino, another street where drivers frequently exceed speed limits? Residents, shoppers, and visitors deserve a quieter, safer street.

The Greenways is the best supported transportation project in recent memory. Fifteen local community-based organizations have endorsed All Ages & Abilities Greenways, including the PUSD Board of Education, the City’s Accessibility and Disabilities Commission, and the NAACP. Hundreds of Pasadena residents have repeatedly voiced their support for the safe Neighborhood Greenways on various petitions and at public meetings. The project is now fully funded with an award from the LA Metro Board.

Pasadena residents are clear. We want slower traffic in front of our homes and local businesses, and safe, family-friendly Greenways that are inviting for everyone. Plenty of our neighborhoods already have speed cushions and other features that slow down traffic. Why not these four streets too?

The authors, Cary Belling, Colin Bogart, Jonah Kanner, Topher Mathers, Christy Moision, Jesús “Molo” Molina, Aaron Salinger, Mark Sanborn, Liz Schiller, Matt Stumbo, and Claire Zeng, all live on or near the Neighborhood Greenways, and/or regularly walk, bike, and drive on them. We volunteer together around town with the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, with the goals of making Pasadena safer, healthier, and more sustainable. More info at www.pasadenacsc.org.