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District 5
Residents Comment About Pedestrian Safety
On
January 3, 2008, Councilmember Capitelli distributed a
commentary
about recent pedestrian fatalities on Marin and Solano Avenues. Below
are edited responses from District 5 residents. Below the comments are
specific driving and engineering suggestion.
Comments and Observations:
How about considering
the effects of eliminating two through lanes on Marin Avenue? That
change was supposed to make the street safer for pedestrians. How many more accidents, injuries and fatalities is it going
to take before the council admits that the reconfiguration of Marin was a
mistake?
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I
worry that in our efforts to make things safer for pedestrians, we are at
the same time allowing them to believe that they are safe without having to
pay any attention to where they are walking. Many pedestrians are observant,
but too many are not. I hear
now and then, the latest in Austria, of small towns that are doing away with
traffic signals completely, thereby forcing people to be alert and on the
watch for others. I'm not sure this is a good idea, nor am I sure that more
safety measures would save lives.
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THIS IS NOT ENOUGH - Your resolutions
are fine but where is the government when we need you!! YES, we need more
speed bumps - YES, we need a law that prohibits cell phone use and driving
and YES we need more speed traps, penalties for driving irresponsibly.
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We must be responsible pedestrians. I tell my daughters to make sure, when
they are crossing any street, to make eye contact with the driver. Make sure
the driver knows you are there. That
is a great list, and reading it helps me to remember to be a
better/safer/more patient driver.
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We all
mourn this terrible loss. Thank you very much for this sensible
and sensitive letter, and for the firm recommendations.
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I'm sure every neighborhood has
legitimate traffic and safety concerns, but our block especially does.
I speculate a large majority of cars are going around 40 mph, especially
during morning and evening commute times. Construction trucks, city
vehicles, school buses, also use our street as a short cut. It is
frightening how fast the cars go, especially on the blind hill.
I want to know what the city can offer to alleviate this problem, aside from
putting out a traffic trailer, once, a year ago.
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What
you have not noted in your thoughtful and otherwise inclusive ways to drive
carefully: Cells Phones! I
cannot begin to tell you how many times - not each year, each month, each
week . . . but _every_ day I see multiple drivers blissfully
talking on their cell phones, oblivious to nearby vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Not to mention being unaware of pets and
children darting hither and yon.
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I am angry about the lack of consideration, safety, and common
courtesy and common sense.
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Thank
you for this note and for beginning to make this a major issue for Berkeley.
I hope the mayor and rest of the council will take some time
in 2008 to focus on this issue. IT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION - before
someone else's life is cut short !
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First, the accident happened on Marin Ave. That
street, although recently re-engineered at the behest of Albany, remains a major
thoroughfare for incoming commuters to campus and downtown environs.
Many of these cars are not driven by Berkeley residents; I'd venture the
majority are not. They create a steady stream of traffic that is hell-bent
on getting to the Alameda or the circle on Marin, and at a pace/speed that
exceeds traffic laws or common sense. In the evening, they are hell-bent on
getting home, outside of Berkeley and to the freeway. They follow too
closely, don't stop for pedestrians and ignore pleas to slow down or follow
at safe distances, as required by law. Only local enforcement is going to
help with this.
We
need speed ramps (the new flat style) in key locations, and we need
increased and targeted enforcement.
Civility
alone is not going to solve this life-threatening situation. It's
unfortunate, I agree, but more is needed.
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We’ve
lived in Thousand Oaks since 1982 and feel that traffic related incidents in
the neighborhood have never been as bad as they are now.
We very much appreciate your appeal to residents to slow down and pay
attention, but I think there’s more that can and should be done by the
city. .
. I’m aware you’re
not favoring changes to the streetscape but those flashing lights that go
off when a pedestrian enters a crossing....surely the accidents on Marin
would qualify District 5 for a project like that? .
. . Is there any chance
of additional police patrols on Marin? I can’t believe the number of
drivers I see ignoring speed limits and stop signs.
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I
have often been concerned about [the Marin/Colusa] intersection, both as a
pedestrian and as a driver. I have been especially concerned about the
pedestrian pathways on the southeast side and on the northwest side of
the intersection that lead from sidewalks to islands. As a pedestrian,
I feel vulnerable in those walkways as people turning onto Marin do not
seem to pay attention to anything but cars on Marin as they turn. As a
driver, I am concerned about not seeing a pedestrian step out from the
sidewalk onto the pedestrian walkways.
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We need TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT, not more cheap half-baked solutions from
the Berkeley city traffic engineers. We need officers
writing tickets for running red lights and stop signs, speeding, failing to
stop for pedestrians, double-parking in front of schools, all of it.
. .
Berkeley needs to become known for traffic enforcement.
. .
And for gods sake don’t
paint anything more on the streets or put up more signs, there’s too much
now for a driver to process, let alone a driver playing with their GPS or
cell phone.
My sympathies to the family of the pedestrian victim, but narrowing
Marin was a big mistake, traffic now backs up for blocks even at non-commute
times making it very difficult to drive across or make a left or right turn.
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While I completely agree with the statement that we all need to be careful,
we absolutely DO need traffic calming devices. Read the literature in this
area (there's a lot), physical changes are the only things that actually
work to slow people down. Every one of the new traffic circles I've used has
forced me and others to slow down. The restriping of Marin has slowed
traffic by 5-10 mph (sometimes more) compared to previous patterns with
minimal additional time during my (frequent) usage.
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In regards to left
turns from Colusa onto Marin—The angle that Marin makes with Colusa
creates a difficult situation for left-turning drivers since a waiting car
can block or impede one turning in the opposite direction. Currently
there are lane markers or “Botts dots” directing left turns from
Marin onto Colusa. I submit that those are superfluous since those
turns begin in a well-defined turn lane. Lane markers directing left
turns from Colusa onto Marin would be very valuable, and would reduce
confusion at the intersection. It is true that those new lane markers
may not make a smooth curve, but I
would direct your attention to Martin Luther King Jr. Way at Center Street,
where traffic is shifted over through an intersection with a straight line.
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Thank
you. I sent this to my staff with insistence that they read and take heart.
This PM I am pledging to stop using my handheld phone while driving.
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[E-mail to staff from
a local business owner]: I usually delete these without reading but this is
important and I want everyone to take the time to read and take to heart.
Our work requires a lot of driving when we have a lot on our minds and are
always in a hurry. I do not want a tragedy to result from what we
perceive daily as an urgency and economy of action. I want handless
cell phones for all soon. In the meantime, don’t use your phone
while driving. I am stopping car phoning this evening until I have a
handless phone.
Suggestions for
Drivers:
- Cut down on
driving by using alternative modes of transportation, like taking the
bus.
- I will
add to your list that before we pull out of a parking space on the
street or open our car doors, we must look out for bicyclists.
- If I'm heading south on Colusa in late
morning in late December, simply putting my sun visor down would keep it
out of my eyes.
- Dust and grime accumulate on your
windshield daily, they form an invisible patina on BOTH sides of the
glass that will only become apparent if hit in a specific angle (like
late afternoon or morning sun). This can momentarily blind the driver.
Wipe BOTH sides of your windshield with Windex, at least every two
weeks.
- When you are driving, DRIVE. Do not
use the time behind the wheel to go over your shopping list, or the
topics of your next meeting. Remain engaged on what is happening around
you.
- LOOK WAY AHEAD: If you concentrate on
the car directly in front of you, the time for you to avoid an accident
is minimal. Look 3 cars ahead, anticipate lane changes, look for
pedestrians on the crosswalk when you are half a block away.
- Expect the unexpected: If you cant see
ahead, expect a pedestrian to be there. Expect a stalled car in every
fog bank. Expect a child to run in front of you from behind every double
parked SUV.
- If you really want to be part of the
solution, attend a "Car Control Clinic", where you take your
own car to a closed course and learn the limits of your vehicle and your
skill in a safe environment.
Suggestions for Pedestrians
- MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER
before you step in front of car, and while in the crosswalk be alert to
an approaching driver who may not see you, so you can stop or leap
forward to avoid being hit.
- AS A PEDESTRIAN ONE NEEDS TO
NEVER WALK IN FRONT OF A CAR UNTIL ONE IS POSITIVE THAT THE DRIVER HAS
SEEN YOU AND IS DEFINITELY STOPPING. This is just as
important when one has the legal right of way as when one doesn't.
. . Conversely
as a driver I am amazed at how the large majority of pedestrians
apparently ASSUME that since they have the legal right of way that there
is no need to verify that all the drivers are respecting it.
Suggestions for Engineered Improvements
- There should be an additional 10
seconds given to the pedestrian to safely cross the street [at the
intersection of Marin and Colusa]. This is a very dangerous
intersection.
- Since
traffic turning right from Colusa is not subject to the signal light,
which is on the left, a sign stating “Yield to pedestrians in
crosswalk” could be installed at each right turn.
- The time permitted for pedestrian
crossings at intersections on Marin and elsewhere is very short, not
enough for older people or those using walkers.
Suggestions for the City
- In the memory of these 2 people
the city of Berkeley should launch a campaign to
"Slow down and Save lives"
- The city
should put up some banners on Solano at Fresno and elsewhere around town
with strong language such as the following:
In less than 7 months 2 people have been
killed crossing at this intersection.
In less than 7 months 4 people have been
killed within a mile of this location.
Slow down and yield to pedestrians and
bicyclists.
Always use crosswalks and teach children
to obey laws.
Don't
drive distracted.
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If we can train
people to pick up their dog shit, we can change people's way of driving.
The city needs to have a massive campaign to make our city safe for
walkers. This is a green move
as well, getting people out of cars makes for a small footprint.
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