City Committee to Hear Latest Plans for Roadside Memorial Program to Honor Traffic Collision Victims, Increase Safety Awareness

Pasadena’s Department of Transportation on Tuesday will present details of a proposed Roadside Memorial Program which a city report said will pave the way for the families of fatal accidents and collisions to perpetuate the memory of their deceased loved ones while helping to increase awareness of traffic safety on city streets and sidewalks. 

Transportation Department staff will conduct the presentation Tuesday, July 26, before the City Council’s Municipal Services Committee, whose meeting begins at 4 p.m. 

The City’s Transportation Advisory Commission heard the item on June 23 and recommended that the City Council approve the proposed program and policy. If the Municipal Services Committee similarly OKs the plan, its next stop will be before the full Council.

As recommended, each roadside memorial will be designed similar to a street directional sign but will include a safety message related to the circumstances of the crash. It will also mention the name of the victim who died as a result of the collision, to identify a victim as a person and not a statistic.  

According to the policy recommended by the Transportation Department, victims to be mentioned on the roadside memorial can include pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycle riders and motorists. The victim’s family will initiate the request and submit it to the Director of the Department of Transportation, who has the authority to approve an installation. Appeals may be submitted to the office of the City Manager, the recommendation said. 

The full sign message and placement will be determined by City staff, and a minimum of six months must pass after the collision before a request can be made. 

The recommended policy also said the City shall bear the material cost of the initial installation, with the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works bearing the administrative and installation labor costs. Should the sign require replacement, the sign cost shall be borne by the City. 

Each sign will have an expected life span of five to seven years, the report said. 

In the report, the Department of Transportation said the Roadside Memorial Program will go into effect immediately, pending Municipal Services Committee and City Council approval.