Stevenson, Garrett
Subject: FW: MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMITTEE Item #4
From: Pilates Pasadena <>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2023 7:29 AM
To: Stevenson, Garrett <[email protected]>
Subject: MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMITTEE Item #4
I am a longtime Pasadena homeowner, longtime Pasadena business owner and longtime volunteer with the City of Pasadena.
I want to thank you for taking the time to address speeding and reckless driving in the city, which makes driving, walking and cycling in the city unsafe.
While funds for this campaign appear already to have been expended, one might draw your attention to your own transportation director's comments:
"Most notably, this campaign will use direct, serious messaging that is a departure from recent local and state safety media campaigns that were well received but do not appear to have an impact based on crash, injury, and speeding data."
A simple Google search of research into public safety information campaigns reveals the futility of politely asking reckless, speeding motorists to politely slow down. Selfish motorists who like to Keep Pasadena Speeding already ignore speed limit signs.
Any motorist who drives the speed limit is subjected to tailgating, horn honking and harassment. Our streets have become speedways: Del Mar is a raceway (Note the home on Del Mar/ Parkwood that, sadly, was not wrapped in hi-viz and suffered a grievous injury); Walnut is a speedway; Orange Grove, where lives have been lost, is a freeway; Green Street is a speed test for drivers t.o beat the shiny new red light at Holliston; Colorado is also a drag race favorite.
Would any of you allow your child, your elderly parent or your disabled neighbor to cross Orange Grove on their own? Or to navigate Del Mar or Arroyo Parkway during rush hour? The streets have become surrogate, residential freeways.
Keep Pasadena Speeding is a theme for the entire city. Rather than spend money on a campaign proven to be ineffective, the best strategy is to do what actually works: change street design.
Pasadena is FAR behind other dties in curtaining crashes by making substantial changes in street design.
The city is to be commended for making some changes on Union. However, it took 14 years.
The City of Pasadena has been a progressive city with regard to environmental concerns, like plastic bags, tobacco sales and leaf blowers. However, it has turned a blind eye, it would appear, when it comes to the staggering cost of lives shattered, grievous injury and financial burden of car crashes - not to mention the particulate pollution and poor air quality from car exhaust and tire dust.
If a resident or employee in Pasadena chooses to be environmentally responsible in response to climate change and forego transportation by motor vehicle, that individual literally risks their life. 1 A pedestrian or cyclist has to depend on the generous good nature of motorists in order to "allow" a person to navigate on Pasadena streets.
That is a failure of safe street design.
The City of Pasadena falls flat when compared to cities around the country that have implemented safe street design that make it safe for individuals to be environmentally responsible, get some exercise and walk or cycle for transportation.
While funds for this campaign have already been spent, perhaps it would be helpful to review the Department of Transportation's own mission statement:
"The Department of Transportation is committed to achieving the safe, efficient and convenient movement of people and goods within Pasadena, while concurrently ensuring a balance between land use and transportation to maintain a livable community in which cars are not necessary to travel within the city." Please implement safe street design to transform our city's speedways into safeways.
Thank you,
Kathy Braidhill
Kathy Braidhill, Owner/lnstructor
Pilates Pasadena
1846 E. Walnut St. Pasadena, CA 91107
pi latespasadena. orss
(626) 463-8477
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