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Agenda Report
February 26, 2024
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
THROUGH: Municipal Services Committee (February 13,2024) FROM: Department of Transportation
SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF THE FINAL DRAFT PASADENA PEDESTRIAN
TRANSPORTATION ACTION PLAN
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council:
1. Find that the following proposed action is exempt from review pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b) (3); the "common sense" exemption that CEQA only applies to projects that may have an effect on the environment; and
2. Adopt the Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan as a final document that provides an implementation plan for corridor-long safety improvements citywide. This will allow the City to advance concept plans and pursue the necessary grant funding to build elements in the Plan.
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION:
I
On September 22, 2022, the Transportation Advisory Commission (TAG) recommended that the City Council approve the Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan (PTAP). The TAG also provided input focused on the PTAP becoming an Action Plan that would concentrate on specific corridors. Subsequently, this item was recommended for approval by the City Council through Municipal Services Committee (MSC).
MUNICIPAL SERVICES COMMITTEE:
Department of Transportation (DOT) staff presented the PTAP to MSC as an informational only item on October 25, 2022. Committee members expressed concerns on the prioritization of the ten corridors, including, comments and questions on streets omitted from the prioritization list such as Orange Grove Blvd, East Washington Blvd, MEETING OF02/26/2024AGENDA ITEM NO.15
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
Alien Ave., and California Blvd. The Committee also requested staff to consider integrating the City's Pedestrian Plan with the Bicycle Transportation Action Plan.
Responses regarding the prioritization process and considerations for one integrated plan are included in this report.
The Final Draft PTAP was unanimously recommended for approval by MSC to the City Council on February 13, 2024. As part of the recommendation, Committee members added one corridor to the high priority corridor list and expanded the limits of two corridors on the high priority corridor list, to address concerns on corridors that experience a high number of pedestrian collisions. The action included the addition of California Boulevard from Fair Oaks Avenue to Lake Avenue, and the extension of Lake Avenue to Arden Road and the extension of Washington Boulevard to Sierra Bonita Avenue on the high priority corridor list.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The Draft PTAP was initiated by City staff in January 2021. The planning process included robust community outreach efforts guided by Day One, a community-based partner, and an advisory committee of community members and stakeholders. The technical evaluation process included an assessment of existing pedestrian conditions and an analysis of datasets that considered equity, safety, connectivity, and access.
Through this technical evaluation, the team identified 25 priority corridors within the City, narrowing them down to 10 high priority corridors that demonstrated vast potential for securing competitive grant funding, providing equitable outcomes, and an actionable set of improvements. Per MSC action on February 13, 2024, California Boulevard was added as a top high priority, bringing the total to 1 1 top high priority corridors. This list does not preclude pedestrian-focused improvements on other City streets. DOT staff actively seeks opportunities to make Pasadena streets safe for all users.
BACKGROUND:
DOT staff re-evaluated the Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan by revising it in response to the TAG and MSC input. After revisiting the purpose of this plan and previous transportation planning efforts, DOT staff confirmed that the Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan is consistent with the goals of previous plans such as the 2006 Pasadena Pedestrian Plan, 2015 General Plan Mobility Element, 2016 City of Pasadena Pedestrian Crossing Design Guidance Report, and 2017 Pasadena Street Design Guide, with the underlying guiding principle that views Pasadena as "a community where people can circulate without cars."
The plan has been revised to clarify its role in relation to previous plans and renamed the Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan. The purpose of this Final Draft Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan is to advance tangible real-world improvements and enhance areas of the City with equitable outcomes.
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
This Action Plan represents the next step in the City's long commitment to a more walkable Pasadena by including corridors that exhibit the need for pedestrian safety enhancements and bringing to action the policies and goals developed over previous efforts.
Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan
DOT received a $250,000 grant from the SCAG to develop a pedestrian plan for Pasadena. The overarching goals of the Plan are to make walking in the City of Pasadena safer, more comfortable, convenient, and accessible for pedestrians of all ages and abilities. More specifically, goals include:
• Improve conditions for people walking
Improve connections to surrounding destinations
• Increase the percentage of walking trips
Reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the environmental impacts of driving Measurable goals will require before and after studies that capture the number of pedestrians utilizing the corridor and longer-term safety analysis to determine improvements to safety. Surveys to measure perceived walkability will be important.
This effort was branded Pasadena Walks! The consultant team included Toole Design, Day One, and KOA Corporation. The Project kicked off in January of 2021 and included a significant amount of community engagement, culminating in a Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan that identifies equitable opportunities to enhance pedestrian access and safety where gaps exist, prioritizes those opportunities, and establishes an implementation plan with corridors that have the most need based on the technical analysis and the promise to compete for highly competitive grant opportunities.
Outreach
Community engagement was set as a cornerstone for development of the Plan. Given the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, a variety of outreach and engagement strategies were used to help minimize barriers to participation and obtain the broadest possible community input. Outreach relied on close ties to the local community, but also diligence in utilizing both print and digital mediums to promote engagement opportunities.
To ensure robust participation and address the challenges of the pandemic, the project team conducted both virtual and in-person activities, following appropriate COVID-19 protocols. The outreach process included an advisory committee, a survey with over 1,600 responses, focus groups meetings, informational stakeholder workshop events, walk audits with community members, and three community meetings.
The advisory committee included representatives from a variety of Pasadena organizations, groups, and stakeholders, including representation from residents, businesses, the Accessibility and Disability Commission, and the Northwest Commission.
The members of the advisory group were selected by each council district, relevant commission representatives, business, advocacy groups, and two DOT appointed Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
representatives. The role of the committee was to provide local knowledge and input on pedestrian-related concerns, issues, and needs, gather feedback for direction of the project, and serve as liaisons between DOT and the Pasadena community they represent. A total of four meetings were held with the advisory committee from February 2021 to December 2021.
Additionally, the team held nine virtual focus sessions to target specific community groups in Pasadena and learn about their walking experiences. The groups included Spanish-speaking residents, community job center workers, the disability and accessibility community, Washington Middle School students, Pasadena High School students, Pasadena senior residents, and female residents in Pasadena.
To ensure all voices were considered, surveys and three community meetings were held.
As part of the project's initial outreach and engagement phase, the team developed a survey to obtain input on walking conditions and priorities in the City. The survey was conducted primarily online, with a paper version available at pop-up events. Both the online and in-person surveys were available in English and Spanish.
Three community-wide meetings were held virtually at key stages of the project to update the Pasadena community on ongoing efforts and to provide interactive opportunities for public input and feedback.
Prioritization
Over time, Pasadena's current pedestrian network has been substantially enhanced mainly due to its vibrant business districts, walkabte neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and proximity to high quality transit. To identify potential pedestrian enhancement opportunities where gaps exist and to ensure equitable outcomes, the project team conducted a prioritization analysis for both pedestrian crossings and street segments across the City. The goal of corridor prioritization was to identify street segments that can have the greatest impact towards equity, safety, connectivity, and access factors if improved.
Priority corridors and crossings were determined based on prioritization analysis using data sources such as the Healthy Places Index (HPI) and the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS). Additional sources of information included aerial imagery created by Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), Foothill Transit, and Pasadena Transit. Public and stakeholder input was critical to corridor identification. Weighting factors are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below:
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
Table 1: Prioritization Criteria for Intersection Crossings Criteria
Equity
Measure
California
Healthy Places
Index (HPI)
Score
Description
Locations that score in the lowest H Pl
percentiles [HPI measures community
conditions that impact health outcomes}.
Data: HPI
Weight
High
Safety
Connectivity
Pedestrian
Crash History
Quality of
Crossing
Using the results from the pedestrian crash
analysis, projects that are along corridors
with higher crash frequencies 'Mil be High
prioritized. Data: Transportation Injury Mopping'System (TIMS) 2015-20i9 Locations that were determined to be
deficient will be prioritized. Locations that
are more than % mile away from the nearest
high-quality crossing will receive an additional
weight
Data: Crosswalk Analysis
AccessPedestrian Trip
Potential Score
Locations that are in areas that have higher
trip potential score 'A'JII be prioritized. Dota:
Pedestrian Trip Potential Analysis
Medium
Table 2: Prioritization Criteria for Street Segments
Criteria
Equity
Safety
Connectivity
Access
Neasure(s)
Califorria
Healthy Places
Index (HPI)
Score
Pedestriai
Crash History
High-speed,
High-volume,
and Wde
Streets
Connections to
Transit Service
& Sidewalk Qafs
Closures
Pedestrian Trip
Potential Score
(excluding
transit)
i0e»crtption
Locations that score in the lowest HPI
percentiles (HP; measures community
conditions that impact health outcomes).
Ooto: HPI
Using the results from the pedestrian
crash analysis, projects that are along
corridors with highef crash frequencies
will be prioritized.
Data: TIMS 2015-2019
Prioritize locations that are atong high-speed
and busy streets. These streets tend to be
less comfortable to walk atong.
Data: City of Pasadena
Locations along transit routes and locations
with known sidewalk gaps-
Dora; Pasadena Transit, IA Metro, IADOT,
Foothill Transit, Glendale Transit (Transit agencies
that serve Pasotlena)
Locationsthatareinareasthathavehigher
pedestrian trip potential score- The transit
sub score wilt be excluded from this measure to
avoid double counting.
Data: Pedestrian Trip Potential Analysis
Weight
H
High
H
Medium
Medium
Using these factors, 25 corridors across the City were determined to be a priority for improvement. Subsequently, the team narrowed down the corridors to ten high priority corridors. This was accomplished by looking at the citywide corridors and accounting for Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
complete street projects that are fully funded to ensure that the PTAP captures areas in the City where gaps exist. City staff emphasized project corridors in the northwest area of the City, where crash data, lack of connectivity and pedestrian trip potential was highest - ensuring that the ten corridors demonstrate vast potential for securing competitive grant funding, equitable outcomes, and an actionable set of improvements.
Per MSC's action on February 13, 2024, the list of top 10 high priority corridors was expanded to 11 corridors as listed below, with the addition of California Boulevard from Fair Oaks Avenue to Lake Avenue. In addition, the list was modified to extend Lake Avenue to Arden Road and extend Washington Boulevard to Sierra Bonita Avenue.
Below is the list of the 11 top priority corridors in alphabetical order, and a map of the ten priority corridors can be found in Attachment A.
Alien Avenue (from north City limit to Colorado Boulevard) California Boulevard (from Fair Oaks Ave to Lake Avenue) Del Mar Boulevard (from Pasadena Avenue to east City limit) Fair Oaks Avenue (from north City limit to south City limit) Foothill Boulevard (from Walnut Street to east City limit) Lake Avenue (from north City limit to Arden Road)
Lincoln Avenue (from north City limit to Washington Boulevard) Los Robles Avenue (from north City limit to Walnut Street) Raymond Avenue (from Colorado Boulevard to E Glenarm Street) San Gabriel Boulevard (from Maple Street to California Boulevard) Washington Boulevard (from Lincoln Avenue to Sierra Bonita Avenue) •
•
•
While these corridors help focus improvements on priority segments and crossings, this list is not intended to preclude pedestrian-focused projects on other streets within Pasadena.
The PTAP identifies a series of potential pedestrian safety improvements to be considered and further studied in subsequent project phases. These improvements may include but are not limited to the following:
High-visibility crosswalks
New or modified curb ramps
Detectable warning surfaces
Pedestrian refuge islands
Curb extensions
Raised intersections and crossings
Right-turn lane redesign
Leading pedestrian interval (LPI) and accessible pedestrian signals (APS) Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB)
Pedestrian-scale lighting
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
Improving walking conditions across the entire pedestrian network is a priority. In addition to the capital improvements focused on these eleven corridors, the Department will continue to implement smaller standalone enhancements throughout the City through our community-driven traffic investigation process and larger multimodal improvements already contained in the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
Implementation
The typical project development process after corridor identification for these types of capital projects includes four major project phases:
0.^1
PASADENA WALKS!
Planning
Recommendations
Feasibility
Feasibility studies,
concept designs, and
addiliona! engagement
will be conducted for
two priority corridors
peryear.
DesignConstruction
Design, construction, and after construction
adjustments for each corridor will occur as
funding becomes available. Improvements may
be integrated into other existing City projects,
programs, and funding sources.
The process, from initial planning to completion of construction, can take a number of years and is contingent on funding. Historically, approximately 75% ofCIP projects are funded through grants. DOT staff actively pursues grants on a continual basis and were successful in securing $14 million in grant funding for pedestrian and safety projects in calendar year 2023. Grant funding opportunities such as the California Transportation Commission's (CTC) Active Transportation Program, Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), and Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A) are examples of funding programs in which DOT has been awarded and will continue to pursue as funding cycles become available. DOT'S goal is to undertake concept design on two corridors per year, contingent upon funding, and then continue through the project development process for each corridor until each is implemented. Some corridors will include quick-build implementation of safety enhancements to monitor the effectiveness of treatments prior to the final construction of concrete enhancements. This is a long- range plan and as each stage is completed the City will pursue the necessary funding to both design and construct improvements, with the goal of having all corridors implemented in an eleven to fifteen year timeframe. City staff will pursue all options to accelerate this schedule.
For the conceptual design process, DOT staff will undertake further public engagement, similar to its existing Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) along each corridor. This develops a deeper understanding of what specific needs each priority corridor has and what additional improvements can best meet those needs while ensuring the support of the community. Most importantly, future engagement should reflect an equitable process (prioritizing input and participation from those least likely to Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
participate in traditional processes) and aim for equitable outcomes (prioritizing projects that meet the needs of people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds).
Additionally, to further aid the implementation of pedestrian-focused improvements, DOT staff will continue to coordinate with the Planning Department to ensure that the intended goals from the Public Realm and Implementation sections of each Specific Plan are considered during the implementation of the PTAP. Another planning effort that will be undertaken by DOT is the creation of an Active Transportation Plan (ATP). DOT staff successfully secured a Safe Streets and Road for All grant to develop the City's ATP. It is anticipated that the ATP will take a comprehensive approach to integrate DOT'S multimodal planning efforts. The PTAP, along with the City's existing multimodal plans, will be incorporated into one ATP. A planning effort that will complement the Final Draft PTAP and ATP is the Rose Bowl Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Study that is included in the FY24 Capital Improvement Program (CIP). This future planning effort focuses on enhancing multimodal accessibility and safety on roads leading to the Rose Bowl and Rose Bowl loop. This process would require close coordination with City departments and Rose Bowl Operating Company.
Capital Improvement Program
The Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan has been included as a project in Pasadena's CIP. Inclusion in the CIP allows the City to pursue grant funding for the various phases of each project once the PTAP is approved. Conceptual design and outreach for all ten corridors is estimated to cost $2.2 million and construction is estimated at a minimum of $30 million (in 2022 dollars). The addition of California Boulevard and expanded corridors per MSC action would need to be evaluated for costs. Staff will develop more detailed construction cost estimates on a corridor by corridor basis through the conceptual design and outreach process as improvements are better defined along each corridor. City Council approved funding to begin outreach on one corridor in the FY 2023 CIP.
SAFE SYSTEM APPROACH
The FHWA provides national guidance to address roadway safety called the Safe System Approach, that DOT follows. Safe System Approach expects the road system to be planned, designed, and operated to be forgiving of inevitable human mistakes so that serious injury outcomes are unlikely to occur. The principles of this guidance have been adhered to in the development of PTAP.
A key safe system principle is that safety is proactive. The PTAP represents a proactive approach to traffic safety by identifying tools to enhance safety throughout priority corridors and encouraging walking as an alternative to motorized travel. The Plan also addresses two elements of the Safe System Approach; safe roads and safe users. The Plan identifies corridors for potential safety enhancements, addressing the safe road element. In addition, by encouraging walking through street improvements, the City is raising awareness in both pedestrians and motorists who use the street network of safe walking and driving habits and encouraging a mode shift from driving to walking.
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
COUNCIL POLICY CONSIDERATION:
The proposed action is consistent with the following goals of the General Plan: enhance livability and encourage walking, biking, transit, and other alternatives to motor vehicles.
The Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan is an implementation plan for corridor long safety improvements citywide. This will allow the City to advance concept plans and pursue the necessary grant funding to build the plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
The project has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and is exempt per Section 15061 (b) (3), the "common sense" exemption of CEQA which applies to projects which may have the potential effect on the environment.
The project is covered by the general rule that CEQA only applies to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. The Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan provides a plan to help make Pasadena "a community where people can circulate without cars."
Adopt Final Draft Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan February 26, 2024
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan in and of itself does not have a fiscal impact as a planning document. However, the implementation of safety projects and programs resulting from the plan will require funding to conduct outreach, develop conceptual designs, pursue grant funding, and construct. Conceptual design and outreach for the ten priority corridors is estimated to cost $2.2 million and construction is estimated at minimum of $30 million (in 2022 dollars). The addition of California Boulevard and expanded corridors per MSC action would need to be evaluated for costs. Staff will develop more detailed construction cost estimates on a corridor by corridor basis through the conceptual design and outreach process as improvements are better defined along each corridor. As part of the FY2023 Capital Improvement Program, City Council approved $150,000 in funding to begin outreach and concept design on one corridor.
Respectfully submitted,
Prepared by:
JOAOUir<T. SIQUES
Acting Director
Department of Transportation
•^±
Jenny Cristales-Cevallos
Planning Manager
Approved by:
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MIGUETMARQUEZ
City Manager
Attachments (2):
Attachment A - Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan Priority Corridors Map Attachment B - Pasadena Pedestrian Transportation Action Plan