Pasadena is getting ready to steer a fresh $10.1 million in Measure M money into a two-year package that leans heavily on zero-emission buses and upgraded crosswalks. The city's Transportation Advisory Commission is set to vet the proposal on Thursday, in what amounts to the last local check-in before it heads to the City Council and then regional agencies. If the plan clears those hurdles, transit dollars would be paired with targeted crossing upgrades in some of Pasadena's busiest walking corridors.
What's in the plan
According to Pasadena Now, Department of Transportation staff identified seven priority projects that together come to about $10.1 million, matching Pasadena's allocation for the current two-year Measure M subregional funding cycle. The proposal roughly splits the pot between transit investments and street-safety work, giving staff a defined budget for new buses and crossing upgrades. Commissioners have been asked to review that project list and send their comments on to the City Council.
How the funding works
The money would flow through the Arroyo Verdugo Communities Joint Powers Authority, which distributes Multi-Year Subregional Program (MSP) funds to member cities based on population, as laid out in regional planning documents. AVCJPA materials and the city's project packet outline MSP rules, including the requirement that cities show projects are ready before funds are programmed. Pasadena transportation documents describe the broader five-year MSP framework and the paperwork cities must submit to advance a project under Measure M, according to the Pasadena staff report.
Numbers and projects
As reported by Pasadena Now, about $4.68 million is slated to replace and expand Dial-A-Ride and Pasadena Transit buses, with another $985,819 reserved for bus stop improvements. On the street side, the plan prioritizes a $1 million traffic signal at Avenue 64 and Nithsdale Road; roughly $2.1 million for HAWK pedestrian beacons at crossings on Washington, Fair Oaks and Del Mar; a $600,000 flashing-beacon program at three crossings that meet city criteria; and $748,554 for high-visibility continental crosswalk markings throughout Pasadena. Staff told the commission packet that these seven projects were assembled to fit within the city's roughly $5.7 million transit envelope and $4.4 million streets envelope for the two-year span.
Next steps and approval path
The Transportation Advisory Commission will review the packet and can suggest adjustments, but the final call belongs to the City Council, followed by the regional bodies that sign off on MSP allocations. The city's commissions calendar lists the Transportation Advisory Commission as the venue where staff present Measure M project lists, with the commission's comments then forwarded to the Council for action. City records describe the typical sequence: commission review, council approval, and then inclusion in the Arroyo Verdugo subregional package submitted to Metro, a process laid out in AVCJPA materials.
Why it matters
The proposal bundles spending on faster, cleaner buses with safer pedestrian crossings, two tools that city staff say can help cut collisions and make daily transit use more realistic for residents. Those priorities line up with bigger regional and local efforts, including Metro's North Hollywood–Pasadena bus rapid transit planning and Pasadena's transit signal priority work aimed at keeping buses on schedule. Metro and the city's transit project pages show how bus reliability, better stop amenities and upgraded crossings are being coordinated across agencies, according to City transit materials.
The commission's feedback on Thursday will help shape what ultimately lands on the City Council agenda, but any final decision will still need sign-offs from the regional bodies that oversee Measure M spending. Residents keeping an eye on local transportation funding can expect to see the package move through the council calendar as it advances into the Arroyo Verdugo and Metro review stages.
