Next Step For Slow Streets Neighborhood Protection Plan

City officials will be proposing more community involvement in an improved Slow Streets Neighborhood Protection Plan that is being presented Tuesday to the City Council’s Municipal Services Committee.

The improved plan is a continuation of the program that partially ended with the removal of Slow Street signs in July and the termination of a related social media campaign in June. 

In a report for the committee, Department of Transportation (DOT) Director Laura Cornejo said the new program will include an “Adopt a (Slow) Street” component, where residents can nominate and “adopt” a street to be a Slow Street through an online application process. 

When residents of a particular section in the city adopt a Slow Street, they must agree to assist staff with maintenance of equipment, regularly communicate with them on the state of the adopted street, assist with picking up or moving fallen or misplaced equipment, ensure trash trucks can make necessary turns on trash day, and report if equipment requires replacement or repair. 

This proposal, along with other elements of the new plan, will be presented Tuesday during the Municipal Services Committee’s online meeting, where residents can also contribute input. 

A preliminary report by the DOT showed the “Adopt a (Slow) Street” plan may be piloted in Northwest Pasadena between now and the end of October, at the same time the department is working to launch the plan’s application website. 

Other than Adopt a (Slow) Street, the improved Slow Streets Neighborhood Protection Plan will include a more vigorous multi-media safety campaign that is expected to kick off this week after materials from previous campaigns are collected.

DOT staff will also identify all necessary sign locations before implementing the plan and see if older Slow Down signs can still be reinstalled and reused.

Lawn signs that say “Slow Down” will also be printed and made available to community liaisons and the general public before the end of the month, the report stated.

The city’s Slow Streets Neighborhood Protection Plan was launched in April to implement Safer at Home mobility goals while at the same time improving safety for local pedestrians and cyclists — slowing down vehicles on residential streets, encouraging safe distancing, preventing congregation, and keeping residents home but allowing for recreation. 

The DOT report showed that because of COVID-19 restrictions, traffic on Pasadena streets dropped approximately 60 percent when the first two weeks of April 2019 are compared to the first two weeks of April 2020.

Cornejo said the improved plan will need a budget of about $81,500 to be funded through the Citywide Complete Streets Program for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. 

To watch the Municipal Services Committee meeting on Tuesday, go to http://pasadena.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=9 or www.pasadenamedia.org. 

The meeting begins at 4 p.m.

Members of the public may submit comments of any length up to two hours prior to the start of the meeting by emailing vflores@cityofpasadena.net. 

During the meeting, members of the public may submit up to 200 words regarding items on the agenda through www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/public-comment.