CicLAvia Returns to Pasadena Sunday, Closing Parts of Colorado Boulevard and Raymond Avenue to Cars

The City of Pasadena and the nonprofit CicLAvia will open a 2.7-mile route to people walking, biking, skating and rolling Sunday, Nov. 15, closing parts of Colorado Boulevard and Raymond Avenue to cars from 7 a.m. to about 5 p.m. for the free event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The route follows Colorado Boulevard from Pasadena Avenue to Allen Avenue and Raymond Avenue from Pacific Alley to Dayton Street, passing through Old Pasadena, Playhouse Village and South Lake Avenue and connecting Metro’s Memorial Park and Del Mar stations. Participants may enter and leave anywhere along the route.

It is Pasadena’s first CicLAvia since May 31, 2015. A July city staff report put the cost at $740,000, funded by a $500,000 Metro Open and Slow Streets grant and a $240,000 local match. The total includes $330,000 for CICLAVIA Inc. under a contract the City Council authorized July 13 without competitive bidding.

Metro required events in that grant round to take place during the June and July 2026 FIFA World Cup, but construction of the North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit line was affecting the proposed route, and Metro approved a November date at the request of city staff, the report said.

The event’s two hubs are the Memorial Park Hub, 145 N. Raymond Ave., and the Colorado Hub, 1778 E. Colorado Blvd. They will offer free family-friendly activities, restrooms, free water refilling stations, free basic bike repair, bike parking and first aid. Free pedicab rides between the hubs leave from each hub’s information booth on a first-come, first-served basis; riders must be able to step or transfer into the pedicab.

The city is also temporarily setting up two pop-up bike lanes, called Slow Streets, that stay open to cars. A 1-mile western lane will run along Walnut Street from Raymond Avenue to Orange Grove Boulevard and continue on Orange Grove Boulevard to Rosemont Avenue, a few blocks from the Rose Bowl. A 1-mile eastern segment will run on Colorado Boulevard from Allen Avenue to San Gabriel Boulevard.

“CicLAvia is a wonderful opportunity to bring our community together, celebrate Pasadena’s vibrant neighborhoods, and experience our streets in a new way,” Mayor Victor M. Gordo said in a city news release.

“It’s been 11 years since CicLAvia held a Pasadena event, and we are thrilled to be returning,” CicLAvia Executive Director Romel Pascual said in the same release.

Streets near the hubs may close as early as 6 a.m. Parking is banned on the route and the pop-up lanes from 4 a.m. to 5 p.m., towing starts at 4 a.m., and parking on nearby streets may also be restricted.

Towed vehicles must be picked up at the Pasadena Police Department, 207 Garfield Ave., by 3 p.m. or they will be impounded, according to CicLAvia. Driveways on the route will be blocked from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and vehicles will not be allowed to enter or leave the route during that time; CicLAvia advises people whose driveways are blocked and who need their cars that day to park elsewhere before 7 a.m. Cars may cross the route at six intersections: on Colorado Boulevard at Fair Oaks Avenue, Los Robles Avenue, Lake Avenue and Hill Avenue, and on Raymond Avenue at Union and Green streets.

Pasadena Transit Routes 10, 20, 33, 40 and 51s will detour from the start of service, with detours ending by 6 p.m. Metro Lines 180, 267, 501, 660 and 662 will detour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. or while barricades are up. CicLAvia says all buses on the route and pop-up lanes will be detoured and tells riders to check Foothill Transit as well.

Only people-powered vehicles are allowed, with exceptions for motorized wheelchairs and related vehicles used by people with disabilities and limited exceptions for e-bikes. The event will go on rain or shine.

CicLAvia—Pasadena: Sunday, Nov. 15, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Hubs: Memorial Park Hub, 145 N. Raymond Ave., and Colorado Hub, 1778 E. Colorado Blvd. Information: ciclavia.org or 213-355-8500.