City Commission Recommends Preferential Parking Permits for Hahamongna Neighbors

 

Residents of the La Canada Verdugo Road/Vista Laguna Terrace/ North Arroyo Boulevard neighborhood could be receiving a much-desired holiday gift soon.

The Pasadena Transportation Advisory Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve a recommendation for establishing a preferential permit parking district for residents living in the area near the Hahamongna Watershed Park.

According to Richard Dilluvio of the City’s Transportation Department, residents from the area near the park met recently with City Council, Department of Transportation, Public Works and Police representatives, along with staff from the LA County department of Public Works, to discuss the recurring public nuisances near the park’s southern pedestrian entrance.

The problems have since increased as the park has become a “major destination for people who park in the neighborhood for hours at a time and during the evening has brought an undesirable element who enter the park at night,” reported Dilluvio.

A sufficient number of residents have already signed a petition in favor of establishing a preferential parking program. Once the City Council approves the parking district, nearby streets within the district may also petition for preferential permit parking, if a minimum of 67% of its residents sign a petition in concurrence.

The Committee will prepare a resolution to be sent to the City Council for an approval vote before the permit program can be implemented.

The Commission also heard a update report from Department of Transportation Engineer Conrad Viana on the City’s proposed Bike Share program, to be fully implemented next summer.

Pasadena will be the location for the second phase rollout of the Regional Countywide Bike Share Program Viana reported.

Metro will manage and operate the Bike Share system, which will debut 34 bike share stations in July of 2017, as a component of the City’s Complete Streets strategy to encourage the use of non-vehicular modes.

As Viana explained, the greater purpose of the program is the hope that “Pasadena will be a city where people can circulate without a car.”

According to Viana, the 34 stations, down from more than 50 original proposed locations, were selected through a “Bike Share Suitability Index” which takes into account Employment Centers, High Density Housing, population per acre, the number of intersections, and transit service frequency.

Metro also adds additional station siting criteria, including density, housing, population, employment, and intersections per mile. Having a contiguous network is best for attracting and serving riders, said Viana.

The City’s Bike Share locations will be placed where rail, transit and bike lanes naturally merge, according to the presentation, taking into account transit frequency and pedestrian accessibility, with active, safe well-lit areas.

Bike Share locations will also be constantly “re-balanced,” meaning that bikes will be moved and rotated depending on the constantly changing needs of each station.

Having stations close to each other, said Viana, means that a backup station is generally available in case stations are full, through the course of a busy day.

According to the report, bike share station locations would range from Avenue 64 on the west to locations near JPL and Hastings Ranch as well as Caltech and the Huntington Library.

Of the planned locations, there are ten in mixed-use areas, eight in commercial areas, six along the Gold Line, four “institution” locations, three park locations, two Civic Center locations and one hospital location.

Commission Member Manoochechr Adhami voiced concern over the lack of designated bikes stations to the east, specifically the Sierra Madre Station. Viana responded that because of the distance from Sierra Madre Station to Central Pasadena, a bike share station there might not be as practical, since the program would be unable to “balance” the number of bikes available at the station.

“You need a five-minute walk between stations,” said Viana, but told Adamhi that the report was not in the final stage yet, and the Transportation Department is still taking public input.

Viana also reported that City staff is working with Public Works to prepare an RFP for a consultant to do outreach and design for the planned Cycle Track in Central Pasadena, an east-west, two-way protected cycle track to be built along the south side of Union Street, from Wilson Avenue to Arroyo Parkway.

In response to concerns voiced at a recent City Council meeting, said Viana, the department plans a “re-introduction” of the program to the public, and address concerns voiced by members of the disabled community.

Pasadena Director of Transportation Fred Dock also reported to the commission that the passage of Measure M would bring in an additional $1.3 million for Pasadena-specific projects.

This funding would be available in September 2017, following the beginning of the fiscal year, he said.