Community Mobility

Complete Streets Program

What are “complete” streets?

Complete streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities must be able to safely move along and across a complete street.

Creating complete streets means transportation agencies must change their orientation toward building primarily for cars. Instituting a complete streets policy ensures that transportation agencies routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users. Places with complete streets policies are making sure that their streets and roads work for drivers, transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists, as well as for older people, children, and people with disabilities.

What it takes to make a street “complete” varies depending on many factors, so there’s no single definition. However, ingredients may include sidewalks, bike lanes (or wide paved shoulders), special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible transit stops, frequent crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, and more. A complete street in a rural area will look quite different from a complete street in a highly urban area. But both are designed to balance safety and convenience for everyone using the road.

Benefits of Complete Streets

Increased Transportation Choices: Streets that provide travel choices can give people the option to avoid traffic congestion, and increase the overall capacity of the transportation network.

Economic Revitalization: Complete streets can reduce transportation costs and travel time while increasing property values and job growth in communities. Improved Return on Infrastructure Investments: Integrating sidewalks, bike lanes, transit amenities, and safe crossings into the initial design of a project spares the expense of retrofits later.

Quality of Place: Increased bicycling and walking are indicative of vibrant and livable communities.

Improved Safety: Design and accommodation for bicyclists and pedestrians reduces the incidence of crashes.

More Walking and Bicycling: Public health experts are encouraging walking and bicycling as a response to the obesity epidemic. Streets that provide room for bicycling and walking help children get physical activity and gain independence.

Pasadena Street Design Guide

In 2015, the City of Pasadena adopted an updated Mobility Element of the City’s General Plan. The updated Mobility Element includes new goals and objectives, which address complete streets:

-Streets should reflect neighborhood character and accommodate all users.

-Complete Streets: Streets should accommodate all users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit, skateboarders and scooters.

-Streets should reflect individual neighborhood character and needs, and support healthy activities such as walking and bicycling.

This Street Design Guide is the implementation mechanism of the City of Pasadena’s complete streets policy. Currently standards and ordinances associated with the design of streets are housed within existing municipal code and different City departments, such as Transportation, Public Works, and Planning.  In addition, some of the City’s common street design practices are not documented anywhere. This manual has gathered and reconciled existing policies and best practices to create a set of guidelines in support of the Mobility Element.

Pasadena Street Design Guide – March 2017 (pdf)
Appendix A: Existing Conditions (pdf)

Preferential Permit Parking

Preferential Parking Permit Procedures October 2014

Speed Humps Request

In the 1980s, the City installed speed humps on a number of residential streets. This process became part of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program in the early 1990s. By incorporating the installation of speed humps into a comprehensive program for addressing neighborhood traffic issues, the City gained the ability to improve traffic conditions in an entire area rather than on just one street.

Speed Hump Standards (pdf)
Revised Speed Hump Policies Procedures - November 2020

Walking

Walking is great exercise and in Pasadena, there are many beautiful historic landmarks that can be seen along your journey. However, before you take that first stride, the City of Pasadena encourages you to follow pedestrian safety laws found in the California Vehicle Code.

Pasadena Pedestrian Plan

The Pedestrian Plan provides guidance to preserve the walkability of pedestrian areas, to better design and develop pedestrian-friendly projects, to better integrate pedestrian improvements into street maintenance and traffic management programs, and to implement public education and enforcement programs that improve pedestrian safety and increase levels of walking.

Pasadena Pedestrian Plan 2021

For a Livable & Walkable Community
Pedestrian Plan Volume 1
Pedestrian Plan Volume 2

Includes Pedestrian Plan Implementation Projects, Design Guidelines, and Guidelines for Transportation Review of Projects & Summary of Pedestrian Improvements in Seven Specific Plan Areas

Additional Reference Materials
Includes publications on Pedestrian and Bicyclists Between 2000-2003, By Transportation Research Board

List Of Figures

Appendix A

Figure 2-10 Location of Schools & Parks
Figure 2-11 Metro Gold Line Map
Figure 2-12 Transit Services in Pasadena
Figure 2-13 Locations of Public Bicycle Parking in Pasadena
Figure 2-6 Pasadena Land Use Map
Figure 2-7 Concentration of Residents under Age of 12
Figure 2-8 Distribution of Residents over Age of 65
Figure 2-9 Distribution of Residents Who Walk to Work
Figure 3-1 Seven Specific Plan Areas
Figure 4-1 Sidewalk Concrete Inventory Statistics
Figure 4-2 Citywide Wheelchair Ramps Map
Figure 4-3 Cumulative 5-Year Pedestrian Collisions
Figure 4-4 Signalized Intersections in Pasadena
Figure 4-5 Cumulative Five-Year Pedestrian Collisions in Relations to Schools
Figure 4-7 Pasadena Transportation Systems Map in GIS Format

Appendix B

Safe Routes to Schools

Pedestrian Safety Brochure

A comprehensive brochure that offers helpful tips to make your walking adventure safe and enjoyable. Download

Pedestrian Safety Study

The “Pedestrian Crossing and Treatment Guidance Report” provides a summary of best practices for crossing treatments and presents a Treatment Toolbox for various crossing types. View Report

Suggested Routes To School Program Report
The report summarizes the Suggested Routes to School Program that was undertaken in the City of Pasadena from 2005 to 2006. View Report

Rose Bowl Loop

If you’re one of the thousands who use the 3.3 mile Rose Bowl recreation loop, you know it is a great place to go for a walk, a jog or even a bike ride!

In an effort to make your recreation experience more enjoyable and safe, colored pavement, striping and delineators are installed to separate pedestrians from cyclists and motorists. Pedestrians should always remain within the delineators and on the painted surface. Cyclists, on the other hand, should always ride on the outside of the delineators and with the flow of vehicular traffic.

Learn more about the Rose Bowl Loop.
Read the final report on the Alternative Circulation Plans for the Rose Bowl Loop (PDF)

Bicycling

Designated bike lanes and Roseways can be found on many Pasadena streets. In fact, over 12 miles of collector and arterial roadways in Pasadena have bikeways. Many were installed as part of the Foothill Freeway construction project in the early 1970’s. Pasadena also offers parking for over 1,000 bicycles in the form of bicycle racks at bus stops, city-owned parking lots, churches, private office garages, local business and apartment buildings. To date, over 200 new bike racks have been added citywide to further promote bicycling.

• Greenways Feasibility Study
• City of Pasadena’s Bicycle Transportation Action Plan
• City of Pasadena’s Bike Map
• City of Pasadena’s Bicycle Detection Map
• Union Street Two-way Cycle Track Outreach

Bike Paths

Bike paths are paved facilities designated for bicycle use that are physically separated from roadways by space or a physical barrier and are referred to as Class I bike paths. Currently the City of Pasadena does not have any bike paths.

Bike Lanes

Bike lanes are lanes on the outside edge of roadways reserved for the exclusive use of bicycles, and designated with special signing and pavement markings. Bike lanes are referred to as Class II bike lanes.

Roseways

Roseways are roadways recommended for bicycle use and often connect to bike lanes and bike paths. Routes are designated with signs only and may not include additional pavement width. Roseways are referred to as Class III bike routes.

Rules of the Road

The “Rules of the Road: Bicycle Safety Brochure” is now available at the Department of Transportation, local bookstores, and your local bicycle shops. Download "Bike Safe Pasadena"

Roadside Memorial Sign Program

The purpose of the Roadside Memorial Sign Program is to elevate awareness of traffic safety with the goal of reducing the number of and severity of traffic collisions. Roadside memorial signs can function as a way to memorialize the victim of a fatal crash, while at the same time raising awareness of traffic safety.  Victims can be pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycle riders, and/or motorists.

The policy and application package can be found here: RMSP Complete Application Package

Development Review

The Transportation Planning and Development Division is responsible for transportation planning related activities, including both project-specific and comprehensive planning. Comprehensive planning projects include the City’s General Plan Mobility Element Update and technical support for other departments such as Planning and Permitting for comprehensive planning projects. The Division’s current planning activities include reviewing transportation and traffic impacts due to development projects and reviewing and analyzing other traffic-related capital improvement projects. This Division is also the lead in developing transportation-related applications as part the Citywide GIS development.