Pasadena Forum to Address Street Safety as Greenways Planning Begins

A public forum on street safety will be held Tuesday, October 21, at 7:00 p.m. at Jefferson School Auditorium 1500 East Villa Street , as Pasadena begins designing four north-south Greenways aimed at improving accessibility for drivers, bikers and pedestrians.

Hosted by District 2 Councilmember Rick Cole, the “Issue Forum: Safe Streets” will feature panelists Becky Hartung of the Transportation Advisory Commission, Pasadena Transportation Director Joaquin Siques, and Blair Miller of the Complete Streets Coalition. The event is open to all residents, with convenient parking and access via Pasadena Transit Route 40.

The forum will explore the effectiveness of past traffic-calming measures—such as speed humps, bike lanes and traffic circles—according to preliminary planning outlines, and invite community input on future strategies. “Everyone wants Safe Streets—but opinions differ on how to achieve them,” the event flyer states.

The discussion follows recent policy changes approved by the Pasadena City Council on September 8, including amendments to the city’s Speed Hump Policies and Procedures. The minimum daily traffic volume threshold for eligibility was lowered from 1,000 to 500 car trips, and the approval requirement was revised to count only returned ballots, eliminating the previous practice of treating non-responses as “no” votes. The changes were published by the City of Pasadena Department of Transportation.

Community concerns have intensified in recent months.

“We need immediate action to improve the safety of our streets … When I lived on El Molino, taking a walk was just as dangerous because people run stop signs constantly and speed. I was almost hit by cars many times just walking to the gym or walking to CVS,” said Pasadena resident Aubrey Schonoff during public comment at the October 6 council meeting.

The forum follows District 2’s October 18 Walktober celebration, which encouraged residents to explore East Washington Village on foot. “Walktober is our chance to slow down, connect, and celebrate what makes this community so special,” Cole said while announcing the event.

The “Safe Streets” forum is part of a broader civic effort to engage residents in shaping Pasadena’s transportation future.