South Pasadena Keeps Bike Lane After Hearing Support From The Community

The South Pasadena City Council voted 3 to 2 to keep a bike lane on Grand Avenue. The council also voted to keep the off-shoot uphill climbing bike lane on Hermosa Street.

Mayor Evelyn G. Zneimer, Councilmembers Michael Cacciotto and Jon Primuth voted in favor of keeping for the bike lane on Grand Avenue.

Jon Primuth originally voted to remove the bike lane back in the March 20 meeting, but he changed his vote after hearing an outpour of support from parents and kids who use the bike lane.

“I hadn't heard about the children using the bike lanes as much, so I hadn't really cast my net wide enough to understand,” said Primuth before the council. He added that if the council were to remove the bike lane, he believed the city would be liable if any injuries were to happen after the fact.

Over 20 residents in support of the bike lane showed up for public comment including many children who say they use the bike lane to get to school.

The backstory

The bike lane runs for just under a mile on Grand Avenue from Mission Street to Columbia Street and connects to Hermosa Avenue up to Columbia Street. The bike lane was created in 2023 as part of a Slow Streets Initiative that implemented curb extensions, high visibility crosswalks and Slow Streets signs in other areas of South Pasadena.

On March 20, the South Pasadena City Council voted to remove the bike lanes on Grand Avenue, plastic delineators on Grand and Oak, but keep the stop limit lines and the short uphill climbing bike lane on Hermosa.

Community reaction

Residents who oppose the bike lane on Grand Avenue argue that the council did not do sufficient outreach to residents, according to Marina Khubesrian, former mayor of South Pasadena. Several people living on Grand Avenue wrote in ahead of the March 20 meeting saying that there was no direct communication from the city and that adding the bike lane has made traffic along Grand Avenue unsafe, claiming that cars speed by the bikers instead of slowing down.

But supporters of the bike lane say that having it on Grand makes it much safer for cyclists. Catherine Kelly, a South Pasadena resident who lives on Grand Avenue, says she and her family feel much safer using the bike lane.

Kelly sends her kids on a "bike bus" — a group of elementary students cyclists riding to Arroyo Vista Elementary school guided by adult cyclists on the bike lane.

"If we don't support the families that live in South Pasadena, providing safe ways for their children to get around town, then we aren't supporting the thing that makes all of our houses have so much value, which is the school system and the families that go to it," Kelly said.

City Councilmember Jon Primuth told LAist that bike lane politics “is splitting communities around the state,” and that both sides are extremely passionate about the issue.

“The council needs to decide what is in the best interests for all the residents. In the end, city streets need to be managed for the general good of the community.”

What's next

The South Pasadena City Council will vote tonight at 5 p.m. You can send in your comments via email by 12 p.m. to ccpubliccomment@southpasadenaca.gov. You can also attend in person at 1424 Mission Street, attend virtually via Zoom or watch the livestream here.