Candidate Q&A: Transportation Problems and Solutions

In weeks leading up to the , Patch is asking our nine City Council candidates a series of questions significant to the community.

Today's question: Other than the 710, what are the most urgent transportation needs in the City?  

[Editor's Note: This article was updated Nov. 4 to incorporate David Margrave's response.]

Better roads and sidewalks. I will use my expertise in public works planning and working with government agencies to seek increase funding for our local streets, potholes, and uprooting of sidewalks and curbs. 

Removing the bulb-outs on the Fair Oaks cross streets. Theses are the results of a poor design that restricts the movement of our citizens from one side of South Pasadena to the other. Second, we must increase our resurfacing of residential streets and stop spending our precious capital on primary streets that are used by commuters from other towns.

We need to increase traffic flow on Fair Oaks and take the street back to what it was rightfully designed for. We need to get rid of the bulb-outs and bring the street back to three north and three south lanes from 6 and 9 a.m. like they do with the Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. 

First completing the DAG phase 2 and 3—these are crucial to north south traffic flow improvement. Second redesigning and rebuilding the Pasadena Ave. Monterey Road Rail crossing back to the original double crossing, which will return natural west east traffic flow to pre-Gold Line construction.

The most urgent transportation needs of the City other than the 710 are the quality of the roads. As it stands right now our roads are in pitiful repair. At the same time we need to approach any major project with the previous lessons learned by the Fair Oaks project and first make sure we are not going to make things worse.

When traffic signals go out during rush hour at major intersections, the problem needs to be addressed. I will ask the city manager to propose viable solutions with cost/benefit analysis. I would want to see successful models of how this problem was handled resourcefully in other communities.

As long as we are located between Pasadena and Alhambra, we will have increased traffic because of the growth in these two cities.  Once our neighbors understand that the freeway will never be built we need to work with them to implement a low-build solution to address the movement of traffic between our cities. 

All of our main thoroughfares would benefit from improved traffic efficiency but not at the expense of residential neighborhoods. Transportation in the city must be looked at and studied in a comprehensive way to include all modes of transportation: cars, bicycles, pedestrians. We need to emphasize healthy lifestyle choices of which safety for all residents is a primary consideration. Fremont Ave. has a very good traffic calming plan approved, but unfunded. I would push to have this plan instituted.

I support the study of the other multi-mode alternatives to the Freeway extension especially another light rail passenger line from the south toward Pasadena. I think we need to set to trend to change California culture from single persons in cars on freeways, to mass transit. At the same time, since for the time being lots of cars are the reality, we should start accumulating federal and state funds to start the 110 Hook project on Fair Oaks. That will help a great deal with the congestion on that street.      

Any and all street modification projects will require lots of resident input. If elected I will improve the City's efforts to communicate these plans to the residents by participating in many, well publicized, town hall type meetings wherein the DAGs and the Council will explain its plans, and respond to questions.   

Past Q&As