Another Person Has Died Crossing Washington Blvd
Palm Terrace at Washington Blvd.
Photo: Google Streetview
It is with heavy hearts that we report the needless death of 36 year old Christopher Andrew Mendez on Friday October 23. Mendez was killed by a drunk driver while crossing the street in an unmarked crosswalk at Palm Terrace, next to a public park on Washington Blvd.
We mourn Mr. Mendez, a victim of traffic violence, and ask the City to take real action to improve pedestrian safety around the city by focusing more resources on permanent infrastructure countermeasures that have been proven to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Pasadena residents are still out walking more than ever during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has highlighted the need for better pedestrian infrastructure citywide so that everyone can easily walk to any destination for whatever reason. Traffic fatalities are not inevitable and we should continuously be looking for ways to improve the design of our streets for the safety of all road users.
The City’s Mobility Element lists its First Objective is to “Enhance Livability,” including a list of policies that focus heavily on bicycling, walking and non-vehicular travel. Those policies are meaningless if they don’t translate to physical changes to our streets. In this case, the City could start with infrastructure improvements along Washington Blvd, the location of multiple pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the last few years, including the death of a woman killed while crossing Washington Blvd at Raymond (within the crosswalk) prior to the start of Walktober last year. Simple measures like leading pedestrian intervals, better lighting at crosswalks, and marked, continental crosswalks (possibly at Palm Terrace) could greatly reduce future injuries and deaths.
Earlier this month City Council made a proclamation declaring October Pedestrian Safety Month in coordination with our 3rd Annual Walktober celebration. We call on the City to turn those words into action by addressing the problem at Washington Park and other locations along Washington Blvd in the area. We thank the City for supporting encouragement and educational programming, but only infrastructure changes will be the most effective solutions and we look forward to the City implementing real improvements.
If you agree, we encourage you to send comments to City Council as part of Public Comment for their October 26 meeting. Here is the link to the agenda and instructions for submitting comments.
