Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition Wants You to Sign Their Petition

A local group is calling for an ‘All Ages and Abilities’ safety standard for four greenways in Pasadena that should make walking and biking safer and easier. 

The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition wants the city to adopt the standard for El Molino, Wilson, Sierra Bonita, and Craig Avenues and has started an online petition for residents to support this call. 

An All Ages and Abilities safety standard is a design guideline for creating streets that are safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities to bike and walk. It is based on the principle that people should be able to choose their preferred mode of transportation without being exposed to high-stress or dangerous situations.

The standard was developed by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), a coalition of city transportation officials from across North America. 

Some of the features include separating bike lanes from motor vehicle traffic using physical barriers, providing frequent and convenient crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, reducing vehicle speeds and volumes on streets with mixed traffic, enhancing visibility and awareness of all road users, and accommodating the needs and preferences of different types of cyclists.

In the petition, the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition said walking or riding a bike for everyday trips in Pasadena should be safe and comfortable for everyone. 

“Women, children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income residents all deserve safe streets,” the organization said. 

The petition can be accessed and signed through www.pasadenacsc.org/aaa-greenways. 

By creating the four north-south Greenways along El Molino Avenue, Wilson Avenue, Sierra Bonita Avenue, and Craig Avenue, the city would make these streets safer and more comfortable for all users. 

The City of Pasadena first adopted the Greenways project as part of the 2015 Pasadena Bicycle Transportation Action Plan. In 2021, the city commissioned a study to further develop improvements on the Greenways, evaluating the potential benefits and impacts to both bicycle and vehicular traffic and residential parking. 

Based on this analysis, the study proposed planning level concept plans for each Greenway.

On El Molino Ave., the Greenway would run from Atchison Street to Bonita Drive or about 3.8 miles. The Greenway on Wilson Ave. would be from Washington Blvd. to California Blvd., some 2.3 miles.

The Sierra Bonita Ave. Greenway will be from Washington Blvd. to Colorado Blvd., and that on Craig Ave. will be from Orange Grove Blvd. to Del Mar Blvd. 

Signing the petition would bind the signer to the petition’s commitment, which says: 

“I believe streets should be safe for everyone! I stand with the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition in calling for Pasadena to implement an All Ages and Abilities safety standard for the four North-South Greenways on El Molino, Wilson, Sierra Bonita, and Craig as described in the national design standards manual “Designing for All Ages and Abilities.” 

NACTO describes the All Ages and Abilities guidelines as a “national and international best practice” that should be adopted for all bicycle facility design. 

“Pasadena’s Greenways should adhere to this national best practice,” the petition page says.

For more information, visit www.pasadenacsc.org.