City of Berkeley, CA
12/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 12/30/2024 17:26
Keep pedestrians safe. Park 20 feet from intersections starting January 1.
While statewide "daylighting" law goes into effect with the new year, a grace period in Berkeley means that local $64 fines will begin on April 1, 2025.
Published:
December 30, 2024
Last Updated:
December 30, 2024
Starting January 1, drivers should park their vehicles at least 20 feet from the approaching side of an intersection to help fellow motorists see and yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.
By removing the visual barrier of those parked cars, fellow motorists better see the transition point where people walk onto pavement - both the crosswalk ahead of the driver as well as the crosswalk passed over on a right-turn.
Following a statewide law which goes into effect in 2025, this aims to help drivers fulfill one of their primary responsibilities: yielding to pedestrians at crosswalks.
While yielding to pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks has long been state law, these locations remain some of the most dangerous places for a person to walk.
More than a quarter of all pedestrian fatalities in the United States occur at intersections. In Berkeley in 2022, more than 80 percent of severe and fatal pedestrian crashes occurred in or near crosswalks. Improving visibility at intersections has cut down the number of pedestrians struck by cars in other cities in California and New Jersey.
The law, known as AB 413, prohibits parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk on the approaching side - the right side on a two-way street or both sides on a one-way street. The City of Berkeley will issue warnings for parked cars in violation of the law for the first 3 months of 2025. After that, starting April 1, parking in those spots risks a $64 ticket - regardless of whether it's painted red.
Help fellow motorists better see pedestrians at marked crosswalks as well as unmarked ones - wherever a sidewalk curb opens toward another curb for a crossing.
Park at least 20 feet away from the approaching side of an intersection.
Park approximately one car length from the crosswalk
Twenty feet is slightly longer than the length of a car. A Toyota Prius sedan car is 15 feet long. A Ford F-150 is 17.5 to 19 feet long. Park at least one car's length away from the intersection to avoid a citation.
Previous parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities within 20 feet of a crosswalk will be relocated away from the crosswalk to comply with this statewide law.
On Cal Football gamedays in the autumn, the fine will be increased to $96.
drivers must yield to pedestrians at all intersections
Generally speaking, pedestrians have the right-of-way at crosswalks and vehicles have the right-of-way on roadway at points other than crosswalks.
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 states: "The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter."
California Vehicle Code Section 21954 states: "Every pedestrian upon a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway so near as to constitute an immediate hazard."
use cues to be aware of crosswalks
To alert drivers to yield to pedestrians, you'll see these cues on Berkeley streets:
- Yield lines (white triangles painted on the pavement) or paint markings reading "YIELD"
- Yield signs posted on parking strips
- Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons which flash at driver's eye level at select crosswalks
- High visibility crosswalks
- Curb extensions where a sidewalk juts out to create shorter crossing distances for pedestrians
When you see those cues, be alert for pedestrians.
city will continue implementing red curbs across berkeley
Staff will continue painting red curbs on the approach side of intersections as part of repaving projects, capital improvement projects, or other traffic maintenance projects.
The City will also prioritize painting red curbs based on their proximity to schools, senior centers, high-injury streets, and historically underserved neighborhoods in Berkeley.
Starting January 1, 2025, park at least 20 feet from the approaching side of an intersection to help fellow motorists see and yield to pedestrians at crosswalks.