Two Deaths, Years of Advocacy, Culminate in Safety Signal at Dangerous Pasadena Crossing

Two pedestrian deaths and years of community pressure have culminated in Pasadena’s first pedestrian safety beacon installation. The $284,396 project at Washington Boulevard and Hudson Avenue is expected to finish in December.

Collisions at the intersection have claimed two lives since October 2020. Christopher Andrew Mendez, 36, was killed by an alleged drunk driver on October 23, 2020. Less than four months later, on February 11, 2021, Dennis K. Moore, a 61-year-old Pasadena resident, was struck by two vehicles while crossing Washington Boulevard. The Pasadena Police Department said the first driver remained at the scene while a second fled. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Moore’s death accidental.

Community groups, including the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, immediately pressed for safety improvements, requesting a high-visibility crosswalk and citing California law that recognizes all intersection corners as crosswalks.

The intersection serves Hudson Gardens Apartments, Arbor Vista senior housing, Washington Park and multiple transit stops.

The city awarded the contract to Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc. in February. Construction began in September, installing new traffic signal poles, pedestrian and vehicle heads, intersection lighting, pull boxes, a controller cabinet and a curb ramp.

“Significant progress has been made over the last month,” Greg de Vinck, Pasadena’s Director of Public Works, reported November 20. “Over the next month, the contractor will install the thermoplastic striping for the new crosswalk and activate the HAWK signal to complete the project.”

The beacon—formally called a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon—remains dark until activated by pedestrians, then displays a yellow-to-red sequence requiring motorists to stop. Studies show driver compliance rates above 95 percent.