Mobility Element 2015
City of Pasadena
Department of Transportation
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short-term parking opportunities (resulting in a higher turnover of users). Meters encourage long-term
users to park in garages or surface lots. The parking meter revenue funds collected within each parking
meter district are reinvested to improve the streetscapes and alley walkways to create a more attractive
pedestrian experience.
Overnight Parking
With growth, new development, and concern for preserving the unique quality of
life in Pasadena, there
is a need for parking regulations. A City ordinance prohibiting overnight parking on City streets from 2
a.m. to 6 a.m. was implemented in 1950. It was imposed to allow street cleaning during these early
hours and to easily identify vehicles that were abandoned. Residents, for whom temporary or
permanent parking is unavailable, may apply for a Daytime or Overnight On-Street parking permit to
park during these hours.
Preferential Parking Permit
In January 1996, the City Council adopted a Preferential Parking Ordinance to control regional parking
intrusion in residential areas by way of a permit-parking program. In accordance with this Ordinance,
formal “Procedures for Establishing Preferential Permit Zones” were developed to process and evaluate
the eligibility of each request.
The established procedures include meeting with property owners, conducting traffic engineering and
parking impact studies, and reviewing petitions from the affected homeowners. The traffic engineering
and parking impact studies typically include evaluations of whether the parking intrusion is generated by
nonresidential regional traffic generators; an analysis of the available on-street parking; the hours and
days the parking intrusion occurs; and the evaluation of reasonable alternatives to eliminate the
problem. Once a proposed program has been developed, it is reviewed by the Transportation Advisory
Commission before action is taken by the City Council.
Since the program started, the following areas have been designated as preferential permit parking
districts:
Neighborhood
Approval Year
Pasadena City College Area
1996
West State Street
2000
South Oak Knoll, Wentworth, Hillcrest and Ridgeway
2001
South Mentor, Catalina, Cornell & Polytechnic School
2001
Metro Gold Line Station Area (Allen & Lake)
2003
North Holliston and Chester Neighborhood
2003
District M (Maranatha/Harvest Rock Church)
2015
Mobility Element 2015
City of Pasadena
Department of Transportation
Page | 30
Residential Parking Time Limit Exemptions
2015
4.11 Regional Transportation Services
Pasadena is a vibrant regional economic center that benefits from good access
to the regional freeway
network and greatly improved regional transit services. The challenge is to manage this resource, in
particular the transitions from the regional system to the local system, in a way that is convenient to the
user and minimizes impacts on the local community. This necessitates seeking opportunities to partner
with state and regional agencies to jointly review and implement service enhancements that address the
needs of the Pasadena community.
The following sections describe significant components of the regional transportation system.
4.12 Public Transit
There are three significant developments in the area of regional public transit that will have lasting
beneficial impacts on the City of Pasadena. First is the completion the Gold Line Foothill Extension from
Pasadena to Montclair. Second, Metro Regional Connector Project extends from the Metro Gold Line
Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station in downtown Los Angeles.
Metro Gold Line Light Rail System
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension is extending the existing Gold Line east from Pasadena. The first
phase will travel more than 11 miles from Sierra Madre Villa Station to Azusa.
Phase 1 includes new stations at:
Arcadia
Monrovia
Duarte/City of Hope
Irwindale
Azusa Downtown
APU/Citrus College
The Foothill Extension Construction Authority expects to complete construction between Pasadena and
Azusa in September 2015. Metro is scheduled to begin safety testing in late 2015 with a projected
opening in 2016.
The second phase will continue the line for 12 miles east from Azusa to Montclair. Funding is currently
being sought for this segment. The Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
for the Azusa to Montclair section was certified in March 2013 and preliminary engineering began in
summer 2014.
Phase 2 includes new stations at:
Glendora
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City of Pasadena
Department of Transportation
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San Dimas
La Verne
Pomona
Claremont
Montclair
Metro Regional Connector
The Regional Connector will improve access to both local and regional destinations which extends from
the Metro Gold Line Little Tokyo/Arts District Station to the 7th Street/Metro Center Station in
downtown Los Angeles, allowing passengers to transfer to Blue, Expo, Red and Purple Lines, bypassing
Union Station. The 1.9-mile alignment will provide a one-seat ride for travel across Los Angeles County.
From the Metro Gold Line, passengers will be able to travel from Azusa to Long Beach and from East Los
Angeles to Santa Monica without transferring lines.