Featured events- 08/28/2013 - Free Outdoor Screening in the BAM/PFA Sculpture Garden
- 08/27/2013 - MARK EPSTEIN / The Trauma of Everyday Life
- 08/24/2013 - The goat Rodeo Sessions
- 08/20/2013 - Yang Fudong and Philippe Pirotte in Conversation
- 08/03/2013 - Book Signing and Discussion with Dave Kehr, followed by The Lawless Breed
Tag Archives: Pedestrian safety Berkeley
Rally commemorates pedestrian deaths in Berkeley
About 10 people gathered on Saturday to remember pedestrians who have been killed in Berkeley in recent years.
They gathered on the median on Adeline Street near Ashby in honor of Zachary Cruz Pedestrian Safety Month. Cruz, five years old, was on an after school outing when he was hit and killed by a truck on Feb. 27, 2009 at the intersection of Derby and Warring. There has been an informal memorial at the spot he died ever since. … Continue reading »
What’s the rationale behind Berkeley walk signal sounds?
In response to an earlier Ask Berkeleyside post about walk signals in Berkeley aimed to help the disabled, one reader asked a follow-up question about signal sounds, or the lack thereof: “I’m curious about the sound supplements to the buttons. Most of them in Berkeley don’t produce a sound when pushed. Some of them ring. Some of them buzz. Some chirp. Some of them talk. And they don’t seem consistent. Some buzz any time they are touched but produce no other audible sounds. Others seem to be giving other cues. I haven’t been able to figure out precisely what these sounds are meant to signal in all the different configurations.”
City spokeswoman Mary Kay Clunies-Ross said she turned to Berkeley’s Transportation and Disability Compliance staff for the answer. … Continue reading »
Neighbors demand safer streets in Berkeley’s District 4
More than 40 residents in one of Berkeley’s busiest districts came together last week to voice their frustration about traffic issues on their neighborhood streets.
Constant cut-throughs, shrugged-off stop signs, overgrown round-abouts and high speeds were among the concerns shared at a meeting Thursday night hosted by District 4 Councilman Jesse Arreguín. City Manager Christine Daniel and Berkeley Police Sgt. Robert Rittenhouse also were in attendance.
Arreguín said he scheduled the meeting, at Congregation Beth Israel, because of neighborhood complaints related to pedestrian safety and demands for traffic-calming measures. He noted a recently received petition, signed by several hundred people, calling for the installation of a four-way stop sign at one dangerous intersection. Arreguín also said he was working to bring resident concerns to city officials to have them addressed.
District 4 encompasses downtown Berkeley and is bound by Oxford St. to the east, Sacramento to the west, Dwight Way to the south and Vine St. to the north.
Concerns expressed at the gathering included high-priority intersections, such as the junction of McKinley Avenue and Channing Way, where attendees said they hoped to see traffic-calming tools or more stop signs. Others said they want the city to install barriers, such as those that exist around the Elmwood district near Ashby Avenue, to keep out through-traffic altogether. … Continue reading »
Pedestrians, kids now safer around Malcolm X School
Three years ago a six-year old girl called Nia was run over on a crosswalk a stone’s throw from her elementary school in Berkeley. That school was Malcolm X on Ashby Avenue, a state highway. Since then, parents have been campaigning to improve pedestrian safety around the school.
According to Jenne King, chair of the school’s Traffic and Safety Committee, it is only through the actions of those parents, and not through efforts by the city or the school district, that change has come. Read her piece published today in our Opinionator section.
The good news is that six-year old Nia survived the collision, and that matters have improved since the video above was made in February 2011. … Continue reading »
Family and friends hold vigil for Berkeley skateboarder
Family and friends of 18-year-old Tyler De Martini congregated on a corner of Marin Avenue in Berkeley last night to remember the El Cerrito High student who died Wednesday after colliding with a car while skateboarding down Marin at about 7 p.m. Monday evening.
De Martini’s mother, Kim De Martini, as well as his girlfriend and other close friends, remembered a boy who was passionate about skateboarding, and had “a heart of gold”. Concerns over the safety of the intersection where the accident took place, at Marin and Tulare, were also raised.
A memorial service for De Martini is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Friday at El Cerrito High School. Email teamtylertribute@gmail.com for more information.
See more photographs of last night’s vigil in Berkeleyside’s Flickr pool. Read full coverage of the vigil at Albany Patch.
Malcolm X parents raise concerns over pedestrian safety
Perhaps it’s because this particular school is located on a state highway, or perhaps it’s because one of its six-year-old students was run over on a crosswalk next to the school three years ago. Most likely both factors have contributed to a strong feeling among many parents at Malcolm X Elementary School that pedestrian safety needs to be improved on Ashby Avenue (State Highway 13), in particular at the point where it intersects with Ellis Street.
Promised improvements, they say, have been a long time coming and many problems have still not been addressed. In response, the city cites the particular difficulty it faces with green-lighting work on Ashby which, because it is a highway, comes under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. “It is very challenging for us, because any work we want to do involves submitting an encroachment permit to Caltrans, and, with state budget issues, Caltrans has been very slow to respond,” says Farid Javandel, Berkeley’s transportation division manager. … Continue reading »
Berkeley dangerous city for cyclists and pedestrians
Berkeley is considered the most dangerous city of its size for pedestrians and cyclists, according to the city’s health department which, along with its police force, has received funds worth a total of $434,000 to address road safety.
The health department ranked Berkeley number 1 out of 55 similarly sized cities for bicyclists and pedestrians injured and killed, according to a report in the Oakland Tribune. Last year, three pedestrians were killed by cars, and … Continue reading »
Comment: Emerson students at risk from traffic
In the month when the Berkeley Police Department is focusing on pedestrian safety, reader Anne Whyte has written an open letter to Berkeley City Council Member Gordon Wozniak about what she believes is a “perfect storm” of danger for the students at Emerson Elementary School (shown as “A” on the map above), arising from heavy traffic in the area. We publish it below:
Gordon, will you please get the corner of College Avenue and Garber Street designated as … Continue reading »
