Coalition to Rally at City Hall for Safer Streets

Volunteers from the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition will gather at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12th on the steps of Pasadena City Hall to urge the Pasadena City Council to prioritize making streets safe for people who walk, use public transit, bike and drive as the City Council begins the annual budget process later this month.

The most recent statistics California Office of Traffic Safety’s Crash Rankings reported that among similar-sized California cities, Pasadena ranked among the top five for the highest number of people that are injured and killed while walking.

Dozens of people are injured and some killed on Pasadena’s streets every year. In 2021, 61 pedestrians were injured by drivers in Pasadena; six were killed.

“We will memorialize our fallen neighbors on April 12th, including Yang Yang Liu, Myriam Cascella, Dennis K. Moore and Phillip O’Neill,” organizers said.

Speakers are to include victims of traffic violence and their loved ones the group.

“Losing my wife has been unimaginably painful. We were hoping to build a life together, and now I need to go on without her. I never want anyone else to go through what we have gone through” said Joe Wirija, who lost his wife Yang Yang Liu in a collision at the end of November.

Liu was jogging when she was hit by a driver and killed near their home in Pasadena.

Another Pasadena residentr recalled her ordeal.

“I narrowly survived a crash with a car while riding my bicycle in January, and I am still recovering from my injuries,” said Claire Zeng, Pasadena resident. “This unfortunate incident inspired me to become an activist around road safety.”

The Pasadena City Council begins its budget deliberations on April 25th.