We are a community coalition dedicated to promoting complete streets projects and policies in Pasadena, California.
Our belief that everyone should be able to live and move safely in our city inspires us to work for cleaner, healthier, and more inclusive transportation and planning solutions.
Looking for information about the proposed safety improvements to Orange Grove? Click here.
Complete Streets is a design philosophy and policy movement based on the simple belief that streets connect people: that streets should be safe and usable for people of all ages, abilities, and modes of transportation, and that streets should be pleasant and multi-functional to support local businesses, vibrant ecosystems, neighborhood pride, and healthy living.
By reimagining transportation in ways that connect people to their communities and to each other, Complete Streets is a powerful tool for easing traffic stress, saving lives, and strengthening the resilience and habitability of our cities.
Nobody should die in a traffic crash. Complete Streets looks at how to build safer streets, because most traffic-related injuries and deaths are preventable through modern, smart street design. Safer streets are streets that we’ll feel more comfortable using with our children and grandparents, so we can all get around and enjoy this beautiful city we call home
Complete Streets looks at how our built environment can work in harmony with our natural environment: trees and plantings to calm and beautify the street, save water, clean the air, feed bees and native birds, provide shade, and prevent overheating—all things that make a neighborhood more livable and sustainable.
A safe and attractive environment encourages people to walk, bike, or skate for their everyday transportation and recreation. By changing the environment for the better, Complete Streets makes it safer and easier for people to live active lifestyles, and to relieve the tension of being isolated in an office cubicle or car.
Complete Streets looks at how to promote comfortable, easy, and safe multi-modal access to local businesses and resources. Studies have shown that neighborhood businesses thrive when there is a good balance of foot, bicycle, transit, and car access to them through Complete Streets.
Complete Streets promotes safe, easily understandable, and smarter design to allow people a wider range of appealing transportation options. By integrating various travel modes, Complete Streets makes sure that people have multiple options for accessing any business or resource in their community.
Complete Streets looks at how the way we design our streets and policies can promote fair and equitable access to resources. Complete Streets is not a one size fits all approach, but reflects the safety, economic, and cultural needs of the local community and looks for ways to support and re-empower people whose neighborhoods have been ignored.
We’re a 100% volunteer-driven group, completely independent of the City of Pasadena.
Our story started in 2013 following the deaths of Alan Deane, Phillip O’Neill, and Jocelyn Young, who were each struck and killed by motorists while riding on official City bicycle routes in three separate incidents. These losses have motivated our diverse team of Pasadena residents and community group stakeholders to become a driving force for safe, sustainable mobility in the City of Pasadena.
Over the past four years, we’ve successfully advocated for a stronger bicycle master plan including a network of protected bikeways; safer pedestrian and bicycle access to the City’s 6 Gold Line stations; and the creation of a system of quiet streets that are comfortable for people of all ages to ride a bicycle on (Pasadena ‘Roseways’). We regularly organize, participate in, or host community-engaging events, including International Park(ing) Day, Walktober (National Walking Month), Pasadena Bike Month, cicLAvia feeder rides, ghost bike installations, the Pasadena Ride of Silence, and the World Day of Remembrance for victims of traffic violence.
Want to change a policy, advocate for an issue, create a program, drop some street art? Join us and let’s do it!
Orange Grove Boulevard is being considered for safety improvements -- fully funded by CA state grants -- that would curb speeding and reduce the risk of traffic crashes. We're advocating for public input from the neighborhoods along Orange Grove that stand to benefit most from the economic and safety investment, including those west of Lake Ave. Visit our Orange Grove project site.
Image source: NACTO Urban Street Guide (link)
Pasadena consistently ranks in the worst top 5 among cities of its size for people injured or killed while walking or biking each year. Of the more than 1000 people injured in traffic crashes in Pasadena each year, an average of 5 people are killed and 20 people are severely injured. Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, because no loss of life is acceptable.
Vision Zero has been adopted in hundreds of cities worldwide, including NYC, Chicago, San Diego, and Los Angeles. We think it’s time for Pasadena to step up and join them, and we’re leading the charge.
In early 2016, the North Fair Oaks Empowerment Initiative of Northwest Pasadena asked Pasadena CSC to serve as a resource as they began advocating for a Complete Streets treatment of the North Fair Oaks corridor. We helped them to organize a community workshop, and in 2017, their team successfully asked for and won a variety of traffic improvements. We continue to partner with the NFO Empowerment Initiative as they pursue even bigger wins for their community.
A parklet is what you get when you reimagine a parking space as...a park! We think that the creative use of public spaces is a great way to connect with people and to spark new ideas and imagination, so whenever we get a chance, we go outside for a few hours to build, dream, and play.
We often work with other local groups - send us an email if you’re interested!
The City of Pasadena is slowly moving toward better bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and we have been present at every step since 2013 to advocate for faster change, greater community involvement, and a more thorough network to protect our most vulnerable citizens. We continue to organize for high-quality improvements (including buffered and protected bike lanes) using a variety of tactics, including petitions, letters, and public testimony.
