Newsletters
17 March 2024
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
South Pas Active Streets is a community organization committed to improving the quality of life, sustainability, and safety for people living and working in South Pasadena by advocating for human-centered design of our streets. We send occasional emails related to community events and advocacy in support of this mission. Today, we are sharing an update from our most recent community ride and an Action Alert related to Slow Streets.
Community Ride and Nature Park
Over 80 people joined for our community ride yesterday from Garfield Park to the Nature Park and back. This family friendly ride gave everyone a chance to enjoy our outdoor spaces and appreciate the work of community groups like @southpasbeautiful, @wildsuburbia, @2024_lionsheart_boys_southpas, and @thehivesouthpasadena. A special thanks to @southpasradio, @pasadenacsc, @southpasdudes, and @safestreetsforsgv for helping us have a safe ride. And it was wonderful to see community leaders there, such as Mayor Evelyn Zneimer, @braunjanetl, and @sashareneeperez. We even got a bit of help crossing the street near the arroyo from SPPD!
You can see more on social media pages linked above and on our insta.
Final Decision on Slow Streets by Council this Wednesday
Thanks to support from many of you, the city has preserved the Residential Slow Street program for six months and it has been unanimously endorsed by the transportation commission. This Wednesday, the City Council will make its final decision on the pilot program, as well as consider ways to expand it. We ask you to take a moment to tell the city to “Save Our Slow Streets”!
As a reminder, this pilot program uses quick-build material to show how we can improve safety for all users. The opposition to these changes have prioritized aesthetics over safety or have misunderstood that the full program will use nicer, stronger installations. In some cases, neighbors have complained that driving around the installations and other road users is inconvenient. In fact, this is the purpose of the design! Slow streets slow cars and keep their full attention on the road, which has reduced collision and injury rates for all users in other cities. If you want to have safe places to walk and bike in South Pasadena, then please speak up NOW.
The city is also considering how to use Slow Street concepts on Mission Street, the place we go for festivals, dining, or to hang out. We want the council to endorse the transportation commission’s recommendation to allocate more space for people instead of cars. On this issue, we want the city to go beyond the transportation commission’s recommendation and not only add a bike lane, but connect it to the existing lane east of Fair Oaks. This will improve safety for people commuting to the Metro station, visiting local businesses, and local events.
What can you do?
Email the Council before Wednesday, March 20 at noon at ccpubliccomment@southpasadenaca.gov. Ask them to approve the transportation commission recommendation, as shown on agenda item #17. The link provided here will compose a draft email. Please customize with your own message, sign your name and (optionally) address.
If you have not already done so, please sign our petition. We will bring the results to the Council on Wednesday.
If you are able, show up on Wednesday and give a comment in person. Feel free to email us to ask for advice or help. Our petition includes many compelling personal stories that the council should hear, such as:
“South Pasadena has become inundated with traffic, speeding & collisions and it’s endangering the safety of all and severely impeding our children’s right to exploration, safe travels, and self-sufficiency."
”My family has lived here for generations. A lot has changed over that time including increased car traffic. Many cars drive through our city without considering that we are our own city, and that our pedestrians have a right to be safe.”
“Cars destroy cities and the climate. If you want there to be life on Earth, you need to provide people with safe and sustainable alternatives to them.”
“I have children walking to and from the high school, middle school and Marengo daily. Keep our children safe.”
Casey Law on behalf of South Pas Active Streets