The Freeway Fight in South Pasadena
As the approval process for the completion of the 710 Freeway comes to a close, the arguments by the South Pasadena opposition become more incredible and desperate.
The most egregious contradiction making the rounds is from the people who insist, in the same sentence, that this freeway is unneeded and will be jammed with cars. Which is it? The answer of course is in the EIR: neither.
South Pasadena now sees itself as the “savior” for the people of El Sereno. This is the same community that South Pasadena sees as the source of all their crime; the reason given years ago for the disconnection of all of the streets to El Sereno.
South Pasadena now sees itself as a protector of the environment. This is not evident in their actions; the Lower Arroyo, considered a protected nature habitat and park by Pasadena residents, has been blatantly commercialized by South Pasadena government.
The most recent mitigation measure proffered by South Pasadena is the “plan” to create a corridor where autos can move more freely through the affected area. If this was really a serious proposition by South Pasadena, they had over 30 years to show that it could work.
Instead, they have deliberately narrowed streets, mistimed traffic signals, rerouted traffic and added a phalanx of radar police to alienate their neighbors. They obviously can’t be trusted to think of anyone in the region but themselves.
The freeway will be built. I predict it will be built with no interchanges in South Pasadena, as they desire. And life will go on.
BRIAN L. McCARTY
Pasadena
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