iding a bike is a great way to exercise and save on gas while getting a closer look at our beautiful city. More bike riders also help Pasadena meet its green goals, sparing us traffic and smog.

cyclist By updating its “Century of Bikes” bicycle master plan this year, the city’s Transportation Department wants to make Pasadena one of the most bike-friendly communities in the nation, and you can help! Whether you ride regularly, would like to ride more or plan on becoming a rider in the near future, take a minute to fill out a simple, eight-question survey at www.cityofpasadena.net/transportation.

All input will be reviewed by the Bicycle Master Plan Advisory Committee – a group of local cyclists, advocacy groups, bike shops and city commissioners with a goal of updating the plan by December 2009.

We’ve made lots of progress since the plan was first created in 2000. Sixty lane-miles of bike routes have been created citywide, and a bike map promotes routes, parking and safety. More than 500 bike racks line the city’s major streets and hundreds more can be found at retail areas, schools, parks, community centers, libraries, the Rose Bowl Stadium, shopping centers and Metro stops, including a new storage area at the Allen Avenue Gold Line Station. Pasadena’s Green Building Ordinance encourages developers to include bike racks and showers in their designs.

Even with these successes, more can be done! The team is now looking for more innovative ideas for helping beginning and experienced bike riders feel more visible, safe and well connected with the regional bike network.

Get involved! For more information call 744-7254.

Celebrate Bike Week on Two Wheels

Pedal your way to a party during Bike Week Pasadena, May 11 to 16. Now in its third year, the fun citywide event promotes bike riding as a viable, healthy and sustainable transportation choice.

This year’s festivities will include a free presentation on living a car-free life, a community screening of the documentary “Contested Streets,” neighborhood bike salons, mini-workshops on shopping by bike, a women’s event and the All-Pasadena City Bike Ride. For complete details, visit www.cicle.org or call (323)478-0060.

While you’re cycling around town, be sure to park your bike in one of 500 designated racks! If you chain it to a tree, pole or handrail, you run the risk of having it impounded.

To request a bike rack in a public spot, for a referral to a vendor to install a rack on private property, or for bike maps or safety brochures, call 744-7254.

Living la Vida Verde

With music, dancing, food and more than 70 exhibitors, you can’t help but have fun at Pasadena’s annual Greening the Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Park, Raymond Avenue at Walnut Street, and Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave. This free, family event will showcase all things “green.”

At Memorial Park on the east side of Raymond Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets, browse from booth to booth to learn all about green living, composting, organic foods, hybrid and electric vehicles, alternative energy, green building and more. City staff will also be on hand to promote waste reduction and recycling, collection of household hazardous waste, water and energy conservation, and Pasadena’s Green City Action Plan.

Step across the street to Armory Center for the Arts for hands-on art activities, visit the animals at the Wildlife Way Station and Eaton Canyon Nature Center booths, or enjoy an all-day line-up of live performances by local bands, Aztec Dancers and Baile Folklorico.

This year’s event also features a bicycle tour led by city arborists and certified cycling instructors, who will guide you along tree-lined streets as you learn about tree maintenance and protection and how you can take advantage of shade trees at home; and a leisurely walk through the Arroyo Seco, led by naturalists from the city and the Arroyo Seco Foundation, to help you discover hidden trails, streams and wildlife under the 134 Freeway and the Colorado Street Bridge.

Pick up a free copy of the Arroyo Seco Trails Guide, which will make its debut there. (Watch for it later at public counters and www.cityofpasadena.net/publicworks/PNR/ArroyoSeco.)

Sponsored by the city of Pasadena in cooperation with Armory Center for the Arts, Arroyo Seco Foundation, Buy Local Pasadena and Metro, the festival attracts more than 5,000 revelers annually.

For more information, call 744-4721 or visit Greening the Earth Day 2009 on Facebook.

Pasadena General Plan: Get Engaged

Next month will mark the kick-off of the community engagement program for the General Plan Uupdate. We will soon be considering how our land use and mobility elements will shape the future of Pasadena, so it’s essential that residents participate in creating that vision.

This program will include opportunities to learn about critical issues surrounding land use and mobility, share thoughts or ideas about the future of our community and engage in discussions about how to achieve these goals.

Priorities include outreach to populations that don’t typically participate in civic discussion, inclusion of teenagers and young adults, and use of new media to reach broader audiences.

Look for a schedule of events and activities in the May/June issue of Pasadena In Focus. For more information visit www.cityofpasadena.net/generalplan or call 744-4009.

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