City Asks Residents to Map Walking and Biking Priorities at Nov. 16 Workshop

Pasadena residents can help set priorities for the city’s Active Transportation Plan, a long-range plan for walking, biking and rolling, at a community workshop Monday, Nov. 16, at Robinson Park Recreation Center.

At the 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. session, participants will rotate through stations where they mark up maps and cast votes that will inform the plan, organizers said. The workshop will also cover existing transportation conditions to help inform that feedback.

The plan is meant to create a long-term vision for a safer, more connected network for walking, biking and connecting to transit, the city said. The city launched outreach for the plan in September. The plan will weigh projects, programs and policies such as safer sidewalks and crossings, bicycle and micromobility infrastructure, and better connections to transit, schools and parks. It will also consider traffic safety improvements meant to reduce serious injuries and deaths.

The plan will update and combine the city’s 2006 Pedestrian Plan and 2015 Bicycle Transportation Action Plan, according to a January city staff report. It will also fold in the 2024 Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan and Safe Routes to School work. It is funded with $712,791 from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program and a $178,198 local match, for a total of $890,989, the report said. Staff tied the plan to the city’s goal of zero traffic fatalities by 2035.

City staff recommended a contract with the consulting firm Fehr & Peers, whose team includes the design and outreach firm HERE and the Pasadena nonprofit Day One. HERE Design Studio is organizing the workshop.

The workshop is free. Participants have a chance to win a $100 grocery gift card, and organizers will provide free food, refreshments and a staffed kids’ zone. Spanish and Chinese interpretation is available on request. Bike parking is available on site, and the center is served by Bus Line 20. Accessibility requests should be made at least 72 hours in advance through the City Service Center, organizers said.

Councilmember Justin Jones promoted the workshop in his Nov. 6 District 3 newsletter, inviting anyone who lives in, works in or visits Pasadena to attend. The city’s outreach also includes pop-up events and a survey on the project’s web page.

Registration is open until the workshop begins at 5:30 p.m.

NEED TO KNOW

Event: Community Workshop, Pasadena Active Transportation Plan. When: Monday, Nov. 16. Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Cost: Free. Where: Robinson Park Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. Parking: Bike parking on site. For more, email ATP@cityofpasadena.net or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-workshop-pasadena-active-transportation-plan-tickets-2003373614410