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Pedestrian safety needs to be addressed

Wendy Alfsen
Thursday May 30, 2002

To the Editor: 

Thank you for your attention to pedestrian safety issues (May 21 & May 23).  

Lisa Pascopella is right (in her letter to editor) the May 7 pedestrian fatality on Addison Street is not the only pedestrian fatality in Berkeley in the last decade.  

It appears to be the only pedestrian fatality on a street designated as a local residential street. Fatalities generally occur on arteries (also known as major streets) except here in our neighborhood. 

Over a four year period, 15 motor vehicle (MV) related fatalities have occurred in Berkeley: nearly half of the fatalities were pedestrian and almost all of the rest were from MVs hitting an object. 47% (7) fatalities were pedestrians in MV collisions, 47% (7) were solo motor vehicle collisions and 6% (1) was from a collision with another MV. 

Berkeley's rate of pedestrian fatalities as a part of all transportation fatalities is more than twice the state rate and nearly twice the Alameda County rate. Berkeley's streets are much too dangerous.  

Improved safety is long overdue.  

Wendy Alfsen,  

Coordinator, Walk&Roll Berkeley