Old Pasadena and Metro Local bus (File Photo – adbar).
Anyone who has ridden the bus down Colorado Boulevard through Old Pasadena knows that buses get stuck behind cars and stop at nearly every stop light. Every day, riders are forced to endure long waits through this congested corridor.
By John Perry
This problem may only get worse in the near future. Metro will soon launch a new bus rapid transit (BRT) line between Pasadena and North Hollywood. This BRT will use dedicated bus lanes to keep service fast and reliable–but not within Pasadena. With more buses and ridership projected to increase, we believe something must be done to speed up bus service to benefit transit riders and to realize the full potential of this new transit service.
The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition is calling for the installation of bus-only lanes on Colorado Boulevard, between Pasadena Ave and Los Robles through Old Pasadena. This is a major transit corridor for the region. Dedicated bus lanes here would have substantial benefits for the people of Pasadena, reducing congestion and speeding up journeys for thousands of transit riders, and the lanes will help Pasadena achieve its ambitious climate goals and promote a safer, more accessible Colorado Boulevard.
Why does Colorado Boulevard need a dedicated bus lane?
Colorado Boulevard already is used by several bus routes: Metro #180 and #267, Foothill Transit #187, and Pasadena Transit #10. These bus routes between Old Pasadena and Hill Avenue serve approximately 6,000 daily riders on an average weekday. Ridership is very likely to increase with the new BRT service along this stretch of Colorado Boulevard. It will provide express transit service between Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Glendale, Burbank, and the San Fernando Valley. In Pasadena, the BRT will stop only at Old Pasadena, Lake and Colorado Boulevard, and PCC. It creates an outstanding transit link for anyone who wants to spend a day shopping and dining in Pasadena without having to worry about parking.
Buses currently get stuck in heavy traffic along the most congested portions of Colorado Boulevard in Old Pasadena. On a typical weekday, bus speeds drop to an average speed of 3 mph as they crawl through Old Pasadena. This causes delays to the bus service, making transit service less reliable and causing on-time problems for every bus route that uses Colorado Boulevard. The BRT plan includes dedicated bus lanes in every community along its route except Pasadena. Without accommodations for buses along this crucial portion of the route, traffic for everyone on Colorado Boulevard will get worse.
Is there even room for a bus lane?
Yes! The space for a bus lane absolutely exists. Portions of Colorado Boulevard through Old Pasadena are already down to only one travel lane in each direction to accommodate angled street parking. This holds up traffic for cars and buses alike every time someone needs to back out of a parking space or wait around for a space to open up.
At its narrowest, Colorado Boulevard is wide enough to accommodate a lane of traffic and a bus lane in each direction, with parallel parking lanes on the far right. As recently as 2019, Colorado Boulevard through Old Pasadena had two lanes of traffic with a parallel parking lane in each direction, so this simply would be a return to that configuration, with the right lane reserved for buses. A bus lane on the right-hand side can also double as a right-turn only lane for regular traffic at the approach to any intersection.
Would the bus lane go in the median (left lane) or the side (right lane)?
We believe bus lanes on the right-hand side make the most sense for Colorado Boulevard. Not only would they require less disruption to the existing infrastructure, but the many local buses that already use Colorado Boulevard would also be able to use them, speeding up transit service to all bus riders on Colorado Boulevard.
But won’t this slow car traffic now?
Traffic on Colorado Boulevard is already very slow. Most Pasadena drivers already know to avoid congestion on Colorado Boulevard in favor of faster parallel streets such as Union/Green, Walnut, or Cordova. These parallel streets are specifically designed for faster traffic. Colorado Boulevard is the place to see and be seen, as demonstrated by the owners of the beautiful classic cars who cruise Colorado Boulevard on weekends.
While car drivers have faster options to choose from, bus riders are forced to endure the heaviest congestion in Pasadena. A single bus can carry as many people as dozens of cars. Each bus rider is just as important, and their time just as valuable, as anyone in a car. Right now, bus riders lack a fast, efficient route into and around our city.
A bus lane along Colorado Boulevard will take buses OUT of the flow of traffic, minimizing the disruption by buses having to pull in and out of traffic to make their stops. A bus lane won’t speed up car traffic, but it will get a substantial number of bus riders to move faster.
What about parking?
Most street parking spaces can be maintained under this proposal. A handful of spaces would be lost from converting angled parking to parallel parking. Within Old Pasadena there are no less than a dozen parking lots and garages within a couple blocks of Colorado Boulevard, some are cheaper than metered parking, and don’t involve drivers disrupting the flow of traffic by squeezing into a parking space.
Converting the angled parking to parallel parking allows the city to convert the parking lane to loading zones for quick drop-off and pick-up. Old Pasadena has seen a massive uptick in ride-hailing and food delivery drivers, which cause traffic backups. Dedicating precious curb space to short-term parking makes sense.
What about emergency vehicles?
Great news! Emergency vehicles can use the bus lane! They’ll be able to avoid getting stuck in traffic too!
How would this affect the pedestrian experience?
A bus lane won’t change the pedestrian environment. A parking lane can be maintained along the curb, providing the physical separation between the sidewalk and traffic that already exists. The City could choose to replace parallel parking with expanded sidewalks or protected bicycle lanes. The current pedestrian experience on Colorado Boulevard would be either maintained or enhanced.
One major benefit to the pedestrian experience on Colorado Boulevard is curb extensions for bus stops. Rather than buses pulling up to the curb, the curb can be extended to the edge of the bus lane where bus stops are located. This means bus benches and shelters can be moved out of the sidewalk, making more room for pedestrians and people using mobility assistive devices who can’t easily navigate a sidewalk that’s narrowed by fixtures.
How will this impact businesses on Colorado Boulevard?
Businesses benefit from greater accessibility. Better transit means greater accessibility for customers and employees. Simply put, buses can carry a lot of people. The more efficient the bus system, the more people it can carry. The more people it carries, the more foot traffic there is. The more foot traffic there is, the better for the businesses on the bus route.
Would this affect the Rose Parade?
A side-running (right-hand) bus lane would only require paint to implement, ideally with curb extensions to accommodate bus stops. No physical barriers that would disrupt operations of the Rose Parade are necessary.
In summary
A dedicated bus lane on Colorado Boulevard through Old Pasadena would be good for everyone: (1) businesses would see more foot traffic and customers, (2) drivers whose traffic would flow more easily without buses in the same lanes as cars, and (3) thousands of transit users who would get where they need to go faster and more predictably.
If you agree, consider signing our petition! The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition is launching a campaign to make this a reality, and we need your help! Let’s make transit service better!
John Perry is a transit advocate and a member of Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition.
Many of us have experienced the joy of public transit in other major cities in this country and around the world. Why is it so pleasurable to ride public transit elsewhere? Everywhere outside of L.A. County transit connects to one another seamlessly, infrastructure was put into place so you can ride from town to town without any worries. Bus lanes make it so people who need to take public transit can count on the time schedules to be accurate. When busses are on streets with cars they are subject to the many accidents which occur on a daily basis caused by distracted drivers. It makes perfect sense to dedicate a lane to allow buses to be more efficient and to get people to work on time.
There are hundreds of miles of streets in Pasadena, yet not a single one dedicated to buses. If we as a community really care about clean air, safer streets, and aging-in-place, there is no question that a Colorado Blvd Bus Lane would be a win-win-win for the community! 👏🚍❤️
Having lived in Pasadena for 10 years, I think this would be a great option to go east-west in the city, and improve the local economy!
This seems a clear win for all. Obviously better for bus passengers, this will also make the jobs of the bus drivers a little easier. All without significant inconvenience to other users of Colorado Blvd. And very selfishly, since I spent far too much time on the 134, if enhanced bus service convinces more commuters to switch to using public transit, that can only reduce freeway congestion. What’s not to like?
Maybe the dedicated bus lanes should be on Union and Green?
In a word, “yes” I applaud constructive ideas on improving movement of traffic. At the same time I see what well-meaning people did to create an lightly used bicycle lane. It is a mess with double traffic signals and reducing the flow of traffic on Union concurrently. Let youth be served to improve the lives living in Pasadena and not disrupting the entire flow of traffic in Pasadena for a compartively few out of town shoppers. If I lived in Pasdena, the Galleria serves 99% of my needs, no need to take a bus to Pasadena. But if I did take a bus, I would be a small number of people coming from Glendale to shop in Pasdena. Plus, let’s see how many people ride the bus from Glendale and Eagle Rock to shop in Pasadena. Please be cr eat ive about the quality of life in Pasadena before spending lots of money gumming up and fooling around with Pasadena’s traffic flow. That bus route should serve the Bee Line in Glendale, the Amtrak station, Burbank Airport. Old Town Pasadena should be an entertainment center with a large bus terminal carved out nearby for a bus terminal for incoming people to enjoy walking around Old Town. I lived in Pasadena since 1948.
Since we are investing to make the NoHo-Pasadena BRT we should make an effort to maximize it
Been there, done that!
Was ever so grateful for bus rides when my own vehicle was needing to be worked on!
Especially recall a day on Colorado Blvd. when our car had failed and I had two children with me! We noticed the painted lines for the Rose Parade!
Got off the bus in Glendale and walked up to the Alex Theater and walked around the float admiring the flowers, some wilting 🥀 although it was still impressive and beautiful!
The MTA is shoving projects that are extremely unpopular to business down our throats in Pasadena. This guest author makes it seem like the people on the bus are more important than people that are sitting in their cars. I am completely against the express bus from Pasadena to North Hollywood. I sit right on that route in old Pasadena. I think adding a bus line in Colorado would be detrimental to the transit corridor completely.
As someone who rides the bus every day, I can say it’s way less convenient than driving. We don’t get to choose a faster route if there’s traffic, and if we miss a connection it’s not unlikely we add at least half an hour to our commute. That’s why projects like this matter so much.
The bus lane as proposed would actually make traffic flow more smoothly by moving buses from traffic into their own space, adding a new lane, meaning they won’t have to merge in and out of car lanes backing up drivers. According to Metro’s data, thousands of people use the stops on Colorado Boulevard every day. If each rider saves just one or two minutes, that adds up to hours or even days of time that isn’t spent sitting in traffic every single day.
And the idea that bus improvements hurt businesses doesn’t reflect the data. Studies in other cities, including LA, show that better transit access and speeds actually tend to increase foot traffic and business activity. This project is an absolute game changer for drivers, bus riders, and the community and should move forward.
Ideally the Old Pas section of Colorado Boulevard would be converted to a pedestrian promenade with shaded green space throughout…but a bus/emergency-vehicle lane is at least a step in the right direction 👍