Pasadena is postponing a controversial plan to put Orange Grove Boulevard on a so-called “road diet.”

The city announced the change at a Thursday community meeting, where more than 300 local residents showed up to express their concerns.

The plan — which would slim the 2.9-mile stretch between Lake Avenue to Sierra Madre Villa Avenue from four to two lanes and add protected bike lanes in each direction — has been a point of contention among residents who are worried about the potential impact on traffic in the surrounding neighborhood.

In addition to Thursday’s community meeting, residents have attended City Council meetings to express their dismay.

At the March 12 City Council meeting, a coalition of residents showed up, waving posters that read, “Stop Orange Grove Lane Reductions.” Several spoke during public comment.

“There’s a lot of angst and sort of anger, I guess you can say, from some of the residents,” Frank Duerr, one of those concerned about the plan, said at that meeting.

Among the fears listed were that traffic would spill over onto other residential streets and that the plan would not make the road safer for cyclists.

“As far as I see, it’s a street that works,” Mike Frankovich, a resident who said he uses Orange Grove everyday, said earlier this month. “It does its intended purpose. It moves people safely, east and west on the north side of Pasadena. I don’t see it being a hazard. I don’t see that many pedestrians or bike riders there.”

A statement from the city said the change was suggested as part of plan to install a proposed 3.5-mile water transmission line from Sunset Avenue to Sierra Madre Boulevard. That project needs to be completed before resurfacing Orange Grove could begin.

The installation will take approximately a year, the city’s statement said, and “any decision on the ‘road diet’ is likewise being postponed.”

As the plan itself is being indefinitely postponed, Pasadena has also indefinitely postponed a community meeting that was planned for Wednesday to discuss the project.

In a phone interview Monday, Mayor Terry Tornek said that he still hopes to have a community meeting in the near future to discuss the project.

“I’ve asked that we have the meeting to talk about what we heard (from residents) pretty soon, while it’s still fresh in everyone’s mind,” he said. “Beyond that, I don’t have a specific timeline.”

He said whatever the city decides to do, it will use take into consideration the community’s input.

“We’re going to have to huddle up and get them the answers to their questions, evaluate some of the ideas that have been offered, and you know, revisit the plan and see what makes sense,” he said.

City Manager Steve Mermell mirrored Tornek’s thinking. While the community outcry is not the reason for the change in plans, city management will take the extra time to work with residents on a plan that best addresses street safety while keeping their concerns in mind.

“We are grateful to all those who participated at the meeting, or made their thoughts known previously,” Mermell said in the statement. “Pasadena’s engaged and informed citizenry is one of things that makes our community so special.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been edited to clarify the number of attendees at the community meeting.