May 2026

May 2026

May is bike month, and South Pasadena has plenty to celebrate. The Fremont-Huntington project reaches a major milestone, we returned energized from Sacramento, and the San Gabriel Valley is packed with rides and events all month long. Read on!

Fremont-Huntington Corridor Improvement Project Update

Friends of South Pas Active will know that the city has long been considering a major investment of Metro grant money into safety and access for the Fremont and Huntington corridors. In the last month, there have been two important City Council meetings to review and discuss the design options.

The years-long, community-led process produced many concepts for Fremont and Huntington and we were there the whole way (check out our shout out on StreetsBlog). Thanks to participation from South Pas Active supporters, there is strong interest in improving safety, connectivity, and multi-modal access along these corridors.

• On May 6th, the city council had the opportunity to approve the concepts shown at the April 15th meeting and move toward construction. The staff and PWIC commission officially recommended Fremont Option 2A and Huntington Option 3. There were 25 written comments in favor and none opposed. We were there asking the city to approve the staff recommendation.

Ultimately, the City Council unanimously approved Option 3 for protected bike lanes on Huntington. This is a great result! 

However, the decision for Fremont was delayed to June, to continue to weigh design options, discuss parking removal, among other items. There are real trade-offs here and we appreciate the care that the city has taken in considering them.

We also appreciate that the city council recognizes that bad roads are not neutral; they are obstacles. Building safer streets with protected bike lanes will give residents -- especially its children -- more freedom to get around. This will help us build a happier, healthier, more sustainable community.

So what's next?

The city council will hear this topic again on June 3rd. This is a critical funding decision point, as grant funding for this project depends on moving forward within a defined timeline. Extended delay risks losing the about $80M in grant money entirely, as warned by City Manager Todd Hileman at the May meeting.

We recognize that no design is perfect and that earlier concepts explored more separation or different configurations. It is not yet clear what the design team will recommend, but we will continue to advocate for safety and access for active modes along this corridor. 

Call to Action: Write to your council member and urge them to approve the Fremont Corridor project. If you're able, attend the June 3rd City Council Meeting.

Subscribe to stay tuned for updates here or on instagram.

South Pas Active at the CalBike Summit and Lobby Day

On April 23-24, members of South Pas Active and its bike bus groups attended the CalBike summit and lobby day in Sacramento. Five students and their families traveled across the state to participate and share their story in a session called The Future is Two-Wheeled: Kids as Changemakers.

During the panel, the group discussed how bike buses - and kids on bikes in general - have the power to reshape the vision of a "cyclist" in someone's mind and change lifestyle habits of families. We shared our tactical challenges setting up a bike bus and how it's engaged the community with policy in the city. The kids brought heart and joy to the conversation. We all win when we build cities for our most vulnerable.

South Pas Active met with Assembly Member Mike Fong, who recognized our group from the house floor, and the office of State Senator Sasha Perez to advocate for policies that support cycling and active transit.

Community Rides: Pump Track, Sustainability Fair, and Into the Arroyo

We kicked off the month with a community ride to the South Pasadena Sustainability Fair and the Arroyo Seco Pump Track on May 2nd. We met at Garfield park and rode along Mission St to Arroyo Seco park, where city staff and volunteers shared information about sustainability programs and activities in the region. If you are interested in joining a ride in the future, let us know!

Coming soon: We'll be joining Active SGV for a ride into the Arroyo Seco to learn about the proposed water reclamation project. If you are curious to learn more, please join us. Watch our instagram for a RSVP link.

Infrastructure Improvements

South Pasadena is hosting a series of Community Meetings to review the City Budget and its proposed plan to address a funding gap for essential infrastructure projects, including road repaving and water system repairs, with 55% of South Pasadena roads scored as "poor" or "fair" conditions, the lowest in the SGV.

At the meeting, the city presented a proposal (a Bond or potential parcel tax) to generate the revenue needed to maintain and improve these core services. The proposal is expected to be heard at a City Council meeting in June and potentially placed on the ballot in November for voting.

As this conversation moves forward, we’d like to see the proposal also include guaranteed funding for active transportation programs, similar to models used in Berkeley (Measure FF) and Oakland (Measure U). If we are investing in repaving and infrastructure upgrades, we should ensure our streets are also designed to be safer for everyone who uses them.

There are two more Community Meetings:

• May 21, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
  Library Community Room, 1115 El Centro St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

• May 28, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
  City Council Chambers, 1424 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030

It's Bike Month

May is Bike Month and Pasadena has partnered with Day One and the Pasadena Complete Street Coalition to fill the calendar with amazing events. See the full list of events and RSVP for rides at the Pasadena Bike Month 2026 Eventbrite page.

Thinking about going electric? One event worth special mention is the 3rd Annual E-Bike Expo on Sunday, May 24th at 4pm. Learn about types of e-bike, how to use them safely and effectively, and where you can purchase them.

Our friends at Active SGV are managing a subsidy program that may help you purchase an e-bike. California's E-Bike Incentive Project offers a $2,000 subsidy toward an e-bike purchase. Learn more and apply here.

📅 Upcoming Events

• Friday, May 2nd (past): Community Ride to Sustainability Fair and Pump Track

• Wednesday, May 20th, 6pm: Ride of Silence, Pasadena

• Thursday, May 21st: Bike to Work Day

• Saturday, May 24th, 4pm: 3rd Annual Pasadena E-Bike Expo

• Wednesday, June 3rd: City Council Meeting (reviewing Fremont Corridor project)

• Coming soon: Active SGV Arroyo Seco Ride (tentatively planned for June 7th, 9am)

We are a 100% volunteer-led organization and we can use your help with advocacy, events, and outreach. Fill out the volunteer form on our home page or email us at info@southpasactive.org to chip in.

If you are reading this on our website, you can subscribe for future updates by sending an email to southpasactive+subscribe@googlegroups.com.

Stay Active,

Your friends at South Pas Active