SGV Connect 16: Road Diets, the Rose Bowl, and Parklets in Pasadena

It’s been a couple of years since we last checked in with Greg Gunther (See: DamienTalksSGV #3), a safe streets advocate in Pasadena. While progress on installing the Playhouse District parklets has stalled, Pasadena is moving forward on some other projects.

Most notable is the Orange Grove Boulevard Road Diet (official website, here) a plan to turn one of Pasadena’s most historic streets into one that best serves the community instead of cut-through traffic looking for an alternative to the 210. The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition is encouraging the city to approve a road diet plan for the street. You can get involved by emailing the City Council, by clicking here.

We also discussed a plan to upgrade the Rose Bowl Loop to improve conditions for all users. One of my first big stories was covering a fun and inventive car-free evening in the Rose Bowl loop in the pre-CicLAvia era. It was a wonderful night, and I’ve never understood why more wasn’t done to make the loop a more safe and attractive place to ride a bicycle or push a stroller.

SGV Connect is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. “Foothill Transit. Going Good Places.”