Northwest Pasadena Deserves Better: Pasadena’s Plan For North Lake Ave Is Still An Incomplete Street.
North Lake Plan Website
Image: City of Pasadena
Pasadena’s Department of Transportation recently released its conceptual design for the North Lake Avenue Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Plan.
North Lake Ave is a vital transportation corridor for public transit users because of the placement of the Metro L Line (formerly the Goldline) which serves Northwest Pasadena. With the construction of the 210 Freeway numerous Black and Brown neighborhoods were obliterated and along with them so were the neighborhood streets that once connected our City. Because of this, N. Lake Ave is one of the few remaining streets that connects our City’s north and south.
The City’s current plan takes into account pedestrians, public transit users, and drivers, but falls short of creating a true complete street. In particular, the current proposal lacks any infrastructure improvements that would enable people on bikes, scooters or other micro-mobility devices to safely move along the corridor. We urge Pasadena to align its design with Vision Zero principles as well as the City’s own climate action plan by including protected bike/mobility lanes in the redesign.
A recently published 13-year study of multiple cities around the US, conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico, found a dramatic reduction of road fatalities for all road users on streets that had protected bike lanes. Evidence like this from researchers should inform public policy when redesigning our streets.
To address the existential threat that Climate Change presents, the City should be further investing in public transportation and ensuring convenient, safe access to Pasadena’s Metro stations. Lake Ave Station serves Northwest Pasadena and is one the most heavily used Metro stations in the City. It lacks dedicated parking making it an optimal station for investment in pedestrian, bicycling and other micro-mobility infrastructure.
Off Street and Curbside Parking Along Lake from Mountain to Maple (highlighted in red)
Images: Google Maps
Car centric zoning practices, established in the 1950’s, have forced businesses along N. Lake Ave to provide a considerable amount of space on their lots for the storage of cars, regardless if it is needed or not. Simultaneously, the City dedicates a considerable amount of public street space to the storage of cars in the form of curbside parking regardless if it’s needed or not. Businesses along the N. Lake Avenue corridor already provide ample off-street parking and there are numerous drive thru restaurants along the corridor.
What the Cross Section of Lake Could Look Like with Protected Bike (Mobility) Lanes and More Street Trees.
Image: Streetmix
Converting the existing curbside parking lane to sidewalk-level, protected mobility lanes would improve safety for all road users and enable more people to safely travel on the corridor. We also recommend integrating a second row of street trees along the sidewalk to make walking more comfortable on hot days, reduce urban heat island impacts, and further beautify the neighborhood.
The City’s successful experience converting curbside street space into outdoor dining during the pandemic shows the potential for the reuse of such space. Clearly it can be done. Other cities across the US have had similar success implementing greener, complete streets with protected mobility lanes. We recommend that the City do the same to equitably enhance the beauty and sustainability of N. Lake Ave, and improve the safety for residents of Northwest Pasadena who travel on foot, bike, or transit.
The deadline to submit comments to the City regarding the proposed North Lake Plan is Sunday, January 24. We urge you to submit your comments by going to North Lake Comment Form here.